Fifty departments on high alert as heatwave continues across France

Issued on: 21/08/2023 – 09:11Modified: 21/08/2023 – 17:10

1 min

According to meteorologists with Méteo-France, night-time temperatures Occitania, the Rhône valley, the Côte d’Azur and Corsica will generally not fall below 17 to 22 degrees Celsius, with some areas remaining between 22 and 26 degrees.

Meanwhile, the north of the country can expect 28 to 32 degrees from the Pays de Loire to Ile-de-France to Lorraine in the east.

In the south, daytime temperatures are set to soar to between 33 and 37 degrees, reaching 37 to 40 degrees from Occitania to Provence.

Forecasters say it could reach up to 41°C locally in the shade.

However, Brittany, Normandy and departments along the English Channel will enjoy relatively cool weather, with temperatures hovering between 13 and 16 degrees in the morning, rising to up to 27°C by the afternoon. 

The latest heatwave to hit France this summer is expected to continue until the end of the week and has already broken record temperatures in some regions.

Pyrenees wildfires ‘under control’

Meanwhile, violent wildfires that swept through Argelès-sur-Mer and destroyed a campsite in the southern Pyrénées-Orientales department between 14 and 16 August was officially declared extinguished on Sunday.

In addition to Argelès-sur-mer, the fire affected the neighbouring communes of Saint-André and Sorède, covering a total of 500 hectares.

Some 650 firefighters and airborne resources were mobilised to fight the blaze, which started late on Monday afternoon in Saint-André, around twenty kilometres south-east of Perpignan.

Around 3,000 people, mainly holidaymakers, were evacuated as a precaution, but most were able to return to their campsites a few hours later.