Up to 40°C expected locally: a heatwave settles over France starting Wednesday

France is preparing for a significant heatwave set to grip the country starting Wednesday, with forecasters warning of locally extreme temperatures potentially reaching 40°C. This upcoming episode follows closely on the heels of an unprecedented heat event in May, highlighting a concerning trend of increasingly severe weather.

Christelle Robert, a forecaster at Météo-France, announced during a press briefing that a "heatwave episode is setting in." Most regions can expect temperatures ranging from 30°C to 35°C, particularly across the southern half of the country. The South-West and Center-East regions, along with the Rhône valley, could see peaks of 35°C to 36°C. Only Brittany and the coastal areas of the English Channel are expected to be spared the intense heat. Yellow vigilance alerts will be issued for several departments in the Center and East starting Wednesday midday.

Thursday is predicted to bring even more intense heat across a large central part of the country, with temperatures possibly reaching 38°C in inland areas from the South-West to the North-East, including the Centre-Val de Loire and the Paris Basin. Many cities will experience "tropical nights," where temperatures will not drop below 20°C from Wednesday to Thursday. Météo-France also noted the possibility of thunderstorms, especially in the North-West, from Thursday evening, adding uncertainty to the forecast.

The weekend is also expected to remain very hot, with another surge of very warm air anticipated on Sunday potentially pushing temperatures even higher, possibly reaching the 40°C mark in some localized areas. Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Météo-France, described the heatwave as "early" and noted that while it's too soon to predict record-breaking temperatures or the event's duration beyond Monday, it aligns with the broader context of climate change. This marks the 52nd heatwave in France since 1947, and experts link these phenomena to global warming, which makes them more frequent, earlier, and more intense.