Sixty-one departments will go into orange heatwave vigilance on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast between 35 and 38 degrees, or even up to 41 degrees in the South-West, Météo France announced on Monday. Only Hauts-de-France, the Channel coasts and the eastern coast of the country will remain below 35 degrees.
Monday, 16 departments are on orange alert, mainly in the south and west of France: 40 degrees were reached in the interior of Aude, 39 in the Arcachon basin, 38 degrees in Bordeaux and Montpellier, 37 degrees in Toulouse and Perpignan, details the meteorological institute.
He predicts an “extension” of severe heat to other departments in his next bulletins, a few days after a historic heatwave which hit the country and Europe. In June, average temperatures in France reached records, including the hottest nights ever measured in the territory.
In another bulletin, Météo France placed 57 departments at “very high risk of forest fires” on Tuesday. She emphasizes that climatic conditions “strongly influence the start and spread of fires”. In the Pyrénées-Orientales, a fire led to the evacuation of 10,000 people and disrupted the Tour de France on Monday.
