39°C in Brest, 42°C in Nantes, 42°C in Biscarrosse... France is suffocating under the effect of the heat wave and the fires.
This is the 45th heat wave recorded in France since 1947 and it particularly affects the western facade of Landes and Gers to Finistère.
At least a dozen local heat records were broken on this "hottest day of this heat wave", Météo-France announced.
According to provisional values taken at 5 p.m., the thermometer showed 39.3°C in Brest (against a previous record of 35.1°C in August 2003), 39.5°C in Saint-Brieuc (against 38.1 °C in August 2003), 42°C in Nantes (compared to 40.3°C in July 1949) or 42.6°C in Biscarrosse (compared to 41.7°C in June 2022).
🔴Lanmeur (29): 40.3°C
36.0°C on 07/19/2016.
Station open.
in 1982.
🔴Saint-Brieuc (22): 39.5°C
38.1°C on 05/08/2003.
Station open.
in 1985.
🔴 Brest (29): 39.3°C
35.1°C on 09/08/2003.
Station open.
in 1945.
🔴Chassiron (17): 37.3°C
35.9°C on 04/08/2003.
Station open.
in 1917.
— Meteo-France (@meteofrance) July 18, 2022
The night from Monday to Tuesday will not give any respite: the temperature will not fall below 25°C from the Loire to Normandy and in the east of Brittany.
Thousands of hectares gone up in smoke
In Gironde, two gigantic fires have already burned 15,000 hectares of vegetation, the equivalent of one and a half times the area of Paris.
In scorching heat, with more than 40°C, and a sky turning gray-yellow, some 8,000 people had to leave - "preventively" according to the prefecture - two districts of the town of La Teste-de-Buch.
The zoo in the Arcachon basin, in La Teste-de-Buch, will evacuate more than a thousand animals due to the smoke.
Near the other large fire, located further east inland, south of Bordeaux, 3,500 people were also being evacuated from their homes at midday.
Strong gusts of wind will follow the heat wave, alerted Météo-France on Twitter: "mercury drop from 15 to 20° and gusts of westerly wind at 60 to 70 km / h. Sudden phenomenon spreading from the coast basque in the Bassin d'Arcachon between 6 and 9 p.m.
Paris has launched its heat wave plan: parks open until midnight, refreshed rooms open to the public, vulnerable people contacted by telephone.
Due to the high temperatures forecast for Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July, the City of Paris is mobilizing the heat wave system.
👉 All the info: https://t.co/LC5lM1rF6E pic.twitter.com/hZdNWiI6tt
— Paris (@Paris) July 17, 2022
The heat wave is particularly difficult in a prison environment.
At Perpignan prison, the guards do not always manage to apply the instructions, according to Pierre Grousset, local secretary Ufap-Unsa Justice.
"We have 9 m2 cells where three prisoners are crammed together, without a shower. Normally, three showers a week are planned in collective spaces. Currently, more are needed. But it is not always possible" because that the supervisors are not numerous enough, regrets Pierre Grousset.
The agricultural world is also suffering.
In the middle of the harvest, crop fires, caused by the friction of the blades of combine harvesters, broke out as far as northern France.
The Loire department is testing the spreading of milk of lime on the roadway instead of gravel to limit the rise in temperature and prevent the molten bitumen from sticking to car tires.
69 departments on orange alert
The red alert was maintained Monday at 4 p.m. for the following departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Côtes-d'Armor, Dordogne, Finistère, Gers, Gironde, Ille-et-Vilaine, Landes, Loire-Atlantique, Lot-et -Garonne, Maine-et-Loire, Morbihan, Deux-Sèvres and Vendée.
Météo-France has extended orange vigilance to new departments, bringing the total to 69.
The temperatures will drop and "heat wave red vigilance" should be lifted on the vigilance map for Tuesday morning at 6 a.m.", still indicates Météo-France, while the high temperatures will shift "over the eastern half of France" with temperatures between 37 and 40°C.
Météo-France also warns of the risk of thunderstorms in the southern Alps.
This heat wave affects all of Western Europe, also causing forest fires in Spain or Portugal.
About half of the territory of the European Union is currently facing a risk of drought, the European Commission announced on Monday.
With AFP
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