The temperature reached 37.8°C in Angoulême-La Couronne (Charente) on Thursday, breaking the heat record for the month of May in France, according to provisional data from Météo-France. It also reached up to 37.6°C on Thursday in Narbonne (Aude) and 37.4°C in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), which is more than the previous national monthly record, which was 37°C recorded in Sollacaro, in Corsica, on May 25, 2009.
Météo-France also noted numerous local records in its stations, particularly in a large western half of the country, with 36.1°C in Niort (deux-Sèvres), 36°C in Bergerac (Dordogne) or 35.7°C in Mont-de-Marsan (Landes).
“In Paris, we recorded 33°C this Thursday at 5:00 p.m.”, while a “series of 8 consecutive days over 30°C is unprecedented in May” for the capital, notes the public establishment. The national thermal indicator, which measures the average temperature in the country, reached 24.7°C, according to a provisional value late Thursday afternoon. This is less than the new record of 24.9°C reached on Tuesday.
“Heat dome”
An unprecedentedly early heat wave has been sweeping Western Europe, including the United Kingdom, since the start of the week, as a result of the presence across the entire region of a “heat dome”, a zone of high pressure which blocks hot air coming from North Africa.
This meteorological phenomenon, which has already caused several deaths – directly or indirectly – in France according to the government, is synonymous with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees higher than seasonal norms. This leaden screed is accompanied by a deterioration in air quality, which leads to episodes of critical ozone pollution, as in France.
