Monday, Météo-France had placed twelve departments of the Southwest in red alert for heat wave. An unbreakable day for the inhabitants of this region where he made up to 41.6 degrees in Bordeaux, a record never recorded so far in the capital of Gironde. But then, how are these temperatures captured in France?
41.6 ° C in Bordeaux, unheard of in the capital of Gironde. Monday, several temperature records were broken in France, in the southwest in particular. In total, twelve departments had been placed in red vigilance for heat wave by Météo-France. But then, how do we measure a record? Europe 1 went to ask a climatologist in the Grand Météo-France center in Toulouse.
2,500 sensors in France
The public service uses temperature sensors, there are 2,500 positioned throughout French territory. “You have a temperature probe placed inside a shelter. The latter lets the air pass to transcribe what is colloquially called the temperature in the shade. These sensors in general are located in the middle of large expanses, especially in the middle of the fields, for example. The temperature must be measured at 1.50 meters above the ground and inside a shelter”, explains the climatologist Simon Mittelberger.
The temperature noted therefore corresponds to the shadow of the vegetation. These sensors make it possible to precisely measure certain temperatures and to establish records. “We have stations both in the big cities of France, but also in the countryside. We will compare this value to a whole data history. We can go back to data until the 1950s, or even until the beginning of the 20th century, to be able to say if the temperature broke or not a record,” said the specialist at the microphone of Europe 1.
Today, few temperature records still date from the memorable heat wave of 2003. The absolute record in France was set in June 2019 where 46 degrees had been measured in the Gard.
