Benjamin Peter (in Toulouse), edited by Solène Leroux 06:06, May 18, 2022

It was still very hot on Tuesday.

According to Météo-France, this month of May could be the hottest ever observed.

In Toulouse, we recorded 32 degrees, or 9 degrees more than seasonal norms.

A summer weather that forces those who work outside to adapt their schedules and to hydrate a lot.

Habits that they generally adopt in the heart of summer.

"It's hot," breathes Segundo.

"Last week it was 18 degrees and there it is 32", he continues at the microphone of Europe 1. This roofer has been working on the roof of this detached house in Daux, near Toulouse, for several days. .

It absolutely must finish the zinc tower of this roof window to prevent infiltration in the event of a shower.

Yet there is not a cloud in the sky.

Between the tiles that store heat, and the soldering iron he holds in his hand, Segundo's body is put to the test.

"With the sun and the soldering iron, I have to reach 40 or 42 degrees," he admits.

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The solution, drink a lot to avoid dehydration.

But there is no cooler or refrigerator here, so the roofer has his own technique.

A bottle of water hidden under a tile to protect it from the sun's rays.

"That way it stays fresh for a while," he laughs before taking a sip.

“We are going back to flexible hours”

In the region, we are used to temperatures above 30 degrees, but rather in the middle of summer.

“A few weeks ago, we had frosts”, is surprised Laurent Aubel, the boss of the Couvreurs Occitans.

He did not expect to have to adapt the rhythm of his employees from the month of May.

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"We were a little surprised, we have to deal with it. Automatically, we go back to flexible hours," he explains.

"We start earlier, around 7:30 a.m. and we finish earlier. We try to stop several times during the day to hydrate. The lunch break is shortened so that we can leave [work] as soon as possible. The objective is to avoid the big heat wave in the middle of the afternoon. The ideal is to leave the site before 4 p.m., "he concludes.

What they fear is that these summer temperatures from this spring announce scorching temperatures in July or August.