Mercury will continue to climb Tuesday in most of France, with more than half of the country on orange alert two days from the expected peak of the heat wave, unpublished for a month of June. If the weather will be unstable in the north-west of the country, the weather will be dry and very hot elsewhere, with a heat wave in many regions, warns Météo France. An orange vigilance for heat wave has been launched on 53 departments, including all of the Ile-de-France, Grand-Est, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Center-Val-de-Loire regions.
The 40 degree bar crossed in several cities
The heat settled on Monday in central and eastern France. An unprecedented precocity which has already pushed the inhabitants to seek the corners of shadow and the public authorities at the bottom of fight against the health risks. Tuesday, we will progress a notch to enter the episode canicular: 34 ° C expected in Paris and Reims, 36 ° C in Nancy, Metz, Strasbourg, 37 ° C in Lyon, 39 ° C in Grenoble. On Wednesday, the 40 ° C mark will be reached in Besançon, Nevers, and the mercury should reach 41 ° C in Clermont-Ferrand or Lyon.
In Paris, a "new device" for polluting vehicles will be set up, with a "much faster" trigger of alternating traffic in the face of pollution peaks, said Minister of Energy Transition François de Rugy. In addition, residential parking will be free as of Tuesday because of the air pollution expected in connection with this heat wave, announced the City.
The peak expected Thursday or Friday, a toll free number
This heat wave from the Sahara brings back the memory of the August 2003 episode, which had generated an excess mortality of 15,000 people over more than 15 days. The episode of this week is unprecedented in its intensity and precocity since 1947 and the establishment of detailed records, says Météo-France. From the middle of the week, records will be established for a month of June or "locally all months". The hottest day will be Thursday or Friday.
"Heat islands", cities suffer particularly, because of concrete floors, the lack of trees and the intensity of human activities. The authorities remind people of the need to drink water regularly, to wet the body and to protect the skin. The information platform "Canicule info service" is available on 0800 06 66 66 (toll free number).