The episode of severe heat which has been affecting France for several days began to decline in the north-western regions on Friday May 29, with three departments downgraded to yellow vigilance.
Eleven departments – Loire-Atlantique (44), Maine-et-Loire (49), Charente-Maritime (17), Charente (16), Gironde (33), Paris (75), Deux-Sèvres (79), Vendée (85), Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis (93) and Val-de-Marne (94) – are still on orange vigilance. Orange vigilance has, however, been lifted in Morbihan (56), Ille-et-Vilaine (35) and Mayenne (53).
Screenshot of the Météo France website.
“On Saturday, the heatwave will continue to decline from the west, while it will still be very hot from the Center to the North-East to the Rhône valley,” specifies the meteorological organization in its bulletin published at 6:00 a.m. Orange vigilance for heatwave should be lifted on Saturday in Loire-Atlantique. “Sunday, the strong heat will be confined to the Mediterranean South with an expected end to this heatwave episode,” Météo France also indicated.
In the meantime, this heat sometimes forces businesses, individuals or administrations to adapt. The principal of two high schools in Rezé (Loire-Atlantique) has decided since Wednesday to move all afternoon classes to distance learning to preserve “the safety of people”.
« Plan d’endurance »
In Brest, Météo France forecasts 20°C (after 29°C on Thursday), 31°C is expected in Rennes (after 35°C) and 23°C in Biarritz (after 34°C). It will also be cooler in Languedoc-Roussillon under the effect of breezes, with 29°C in Montpellier (compared to 36°C the day before), 32°C in Perpignan (compared to nearly 38°C).
But for other regions – Center-West and North/North-East – the thermometer will continue to rise. Paris should therefore experience its heat peak, with 34 to 35°C forecast.
This heatwave episode, of unprecedented precocity and which has already propelled the national thermal indicator on Tuesday to a record level for the end of May (24.9°C), is expected to continue until Saturday inclusive before a clear drop in temperatures on Sunday.
Accused of “unpreparedness” by the opposition after the occurrence of several deaths, the government met Thursday under the aegis of the Prime Minister to work on an “endurance plan” for the summer, addressing the state of groundwater, reception of the public or the risks of forest fires.
During this meeting, Sébastien Lecornu sent the message, according to participants, that it was not up to the State to manage everything – school buildings, for example, are the responsibility of the communities – and that he was already putting a lot of money on the table.
Pollution
On Thursday, the mercury reached 37.8°C in Angoulême-La Couronne (Charente), 37.6°C in Narbonne (Aude), 37.4°C in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). “Such a level of heat has never been measured in May since the beginning of the records,” underlined Météo France. The old national monthly record for May dated from 2009 and was 37°C in Sollacaro, Corsica.
The blazing heat is also accompanied by a deterioration in air quality, which leads to notable and persistent episodes of pollution in several regions.
This heatwave is caused by a persistent “heat dome” over Western Europe, which blocks warm air from North Africa. In addition to France, Italy, the United Kingdom and even Portugal are also experiencing unprecedented heat peaks for the month of May.
Under the influence of climate change caused by human activities, these periods of high heat, previously rare, tend to be more numerous, intense and occur earlier or later in the year. Official forecasts predict an average warming of 2.7°C in France by 2050.
