A new, stifling summer heat wave started this Friday, August 8 and will extend on Saturday with 28 departments in the south of France now placed in orange “heat wave” alertand up to 41 ° C expected locally.
The heat peak is expected at the start of next week on a large part of the country, after a weekend marked by temperatures between 34 ° C and 40 ° C in the southbeing able to reach 41 ° C of the foot of the Cévennes at the Basse Valley of the Rhône, according to Météo-France.
“The very high temperatures should intensify at the start of next week”with The hottest days scheduled for Monday and Tuesdaybefore maintaining at least until the second half of the week, the weather service specifies on Friday.
Since noon Friday, Météo-France has placed orange vigilance on the heat wave Rhône, Loire, Isère, Drôme, Ardèche, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, as well as Aveyron and Lot.
The weather organization has already noted in the afternoon maximum temperatures From 39.5 ° C to Saint-Côme-d’Olet (Aveyron), 39.1 ° C in Tiranges (Haute-Loire), 38.9 ° C in Bélis (Landes), or 38.3 ° C in Bretenoux (Lot).
From Saturday noon, vigilance will extend to Dordogne, Aude, Puy-de-Dôme, Ain, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Allier, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Ariège, Cantal, Charente, Corrèze, Gers, Haute-Loire, Lot-et-Garonne and Lozère.
The number of departments concerned will drop to 40 this Sunday, August 10.
Monday could be thus “The hottest national scale. The heat wave should continue until the second half of next week in the Southeast “.
51st heat wave since 1947
After a First heat wave from June 19 to July 4this episode constitutes the 51st heat wave recorded in France since 1947according to Météo-France.
At the Bourget-du-Lac (Savoie), in front of the vast lake of Le Bourget, many visitors came to cool off.
Sitting on a bench in the shade, Amar Houas, a 57 -year -old Isérois, is a philosopher. “We do everything we have to do in the morning.” After, “I stay in my fridge” namely his stone house. “And in winter, in the Caribbean”he jokes.
While the start of the week was cooler, Annabelle Gaudillere, 39, only discovers Disfort-related discomfort for its first motorhome vacation.
“Yesterday we were in Chambéry and we moved. In town, it’s unbreakable. We are looking for points in height, cool “she notes.
In Lyon, the French metropolis most often placed in a vigilance at the heat wave, the inhabitants are preparing to This new outbreak of temperatures that should come close to 40 ° C this weekend.
Work in heat, Affi Bombakar, server, is there “Used”. “We have no choice, we are here to work”, said the 30 -year -old while wiping the tables of a terrace.
Same observation for Sophie, 29 years old, recruiter of donors for doctors of the world, work on the street “Made for the valiant” Especially during “Extreme temperatures”.
Resident Lyon, she had to install an air conditioning at homea “obligation” to keep her life “sick cat”despite its ecological reserves.
Drought and fire
Météo-France also alerted to a danger “pupil” Forest lights around the Mediterraneanwhile the fire of exceptional magnitude in the Aude was set Thursday evening after having traveled 17,000 hectares of vegetation and cost a person’s life.
This new heat wave, combined with very low precipitation, will worsen the drought of the soilalready very marked in the southwest, where winegrowers are worried.
“If he’s hot for three weeks, everything will grill”feared on Thursday Emmanuelle Pivesan, leader of the Empt Enagné Cavenac in Lot-et-Garonne.
In Haute-Loire, the prefecture placed on Friday certain areas in reinforced alert and imposed restrictions on the use of water.
To anticipate “Potential air conditioning breakdowns linked to very high temperatures”, The SNCF has removed several back and forth on the Bordeaux-Marseille and Paris-Clermont lines.
“We note an acceleration of the occurrence of heat waves over time. This trend is well linked to climate change, which has a strong impact on temperatures in France”, AFP Lauriane Baté, climatologist at Météo-France told AFP.