Pedestrians cool off in a fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris this Thursday, with nearly 40 degrees. Photo: AP
The temperature reached 40 degrees in France for the first time this year and this Thursday there were 23 departments on red alert, in the face of a heat wave that sweeps the country in record.
It was Thursday afternoon in Argeliers, in the Aude department. it is youa temperature never reachedhistorically, in mainland France, with the exception of Corsica.
The heat wave intensifies and continues to spread throughout the metropolitan area. Elisabeth Borne announced Thursday that 12 departments have been put on red alert due to a heat wave, which corresponds to the level of maximum mobilization. There are closed schools and
These are Tarn, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes, Gironde, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne and Vendee.
“Be careful! Stay hydrated, keep calm, give and listen to your loved ones. In case of discomfort, contact 15”, advised Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Twitter.
Cool drinks and clothes to cool off in Paris this Thursday. Photo: AP
At the beach
The French flee to the sea, to the countryside, to swimming pools or air-conditioned hotels. They are all complete. Fans are sold out everywhere. Time is unbreathable.
The Ministry of Solidarity and Health announced this Thursday the opening of a toll-free number for heatwaves, which will allow “to receive advice to protect yourself and those around you”.
The number is 0800 06 66 66 and is available every day from 9am to 7pm until the current heatwave ends. In case of discomfort, the Ministry asks to communicate directly with Samu, by dialing 15.
An illuminated sign shows the temperature in Toulouse, in the south of France, this Thursday. Photo: AFP
prevent more deaths
France has already experienced a heat wave it was not prepared for in 2005 and thousands of people have died. The hospital wings had been closed for the holidays, the elderly were being treated with diuretics and morgues had to be opened in tents and refrigerated places. They don’t want that drama to repeat itself.
Will the heat wave last longer than expected? More intense, even the latest models postpone the end of this heat wave. “Initially expected to start next week, it could now be postponed by several days,” meteorologist Guillaume Séchet explained on Twitter.
The heat wave, which comes from Spain, continues to increase this Thursday, with temperatures ranging between 30 and 35 ° C almost all over the country. However, the worst is yet to comewith a thermometer that should still panic, locally exceeding the 40 ° C bar on Friday.
The government has also activated a toll-free “Heat Wave Information Service”, according to a press release by Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon, to “get advice to protect yourself and those around you, especially those around you.” , and to adopt the correct reflexes in case of a lot of heat “. 39 degrees are expected in Bordeaux. The tram tracks are adapting to the heat wave and dilating.
In his latest newsletter, The time chain warns of “two historic days” ahead. Locate Ardèche, Bouches-du-Rhône, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Drôme, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Gironde, Hérault, Indre-et-Loire, Landes, Loire-Atlantique, Lot-et-Garonne, Maine -et-Loire, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Deux-Sèvres, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Vaucluse, Vandée and Vienne on orange alert.
Umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun, near the Eiffel Tower, Paris, this Thursday. Photo: AFP
record temperatures
This Thursday afternoon the temperatures reached the thresholds of the heat wave in the orange and yellow departments, between 35 ° and 38 ° C. Peaks of 40 ° C are expected in Languedoc-Roussillon, Ardèche and Drôme, as well as from the Pays de la Loire to New Aquitaine.
In these western regions, such values are awesome. It would be the first time that the 40 ° C threshold has been reached so early since the start of weather readings in mainland France (excluding Corsica).
During the night from Thursday to Friday in these departments it will remain very hot, with values still close to 30 ° C at midnight. In the cooler morning, around 6 o’clock, temperatures will be between 20 ° and 24 ° C, especially in urbanized areas.
Friday and Saturday will be the two hottest days of the wave. Maximum temperatures should be extreme, close to 40 ° C in the western regions. The nights will remain very hot (20 ° to 25 ° C), with probable records of high minimum temperatures. During the day, from the interior of Brittany to the Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charentes and New Aquitaine, as well as in the lower Rhone valley, values close to 36 ° -40 ° C will be reached.
For Languedoc-Roussillon, a slight relief from the heatwave will be felt on Saturday with a rising offshore wind, as well as Saturday night in the Atlantic arc (coastal border of Aquitaine), which will put an end to the heat.
Attributed to global warming, heatwaves are on the rise worldwide, including in France, where this episode is unprecedented compared to those of 2017 and 2005. It can have an aggravating effect on soil drought after a spring and particularly dry winters and can increase the risk of forest fires.
Pollution
In the south-east, the department of Vaucluse was put on alert Wednesday for ozone pollution, pollution resulting from the chemical transformation of other pollutants in the airunder the effect of solar radiation – and also the Bouches -du-Rhône are Thursdays.
In Île-de-France, ONF (the National Forestry Office) warned of the high risk of forest fires and called for “vigilance”, given the heat combined with the high influx of hikers in June. In the south there are already fires on the Côte d’Azur.
“Faced with temperatures that put bodywork to the test, some companies are adapting by modulating their schedules, especially in the construction sector”, explains Emmanuel Corbi, of a work in Toulouse.
“Our infrastructures are suffering because we have expansion phenomena, linked to the temperature”, said Thierry Rose, territorial manager of the infrastructures of the SNCF railway at the Bordeaux St-Jean station, where 51.7 ° C was recorded. recorded at street level during the day.
For their part, communities are stepping up measures to relieve residents. In Bordeaux, the nebulizers will be installed “in the squares that are ovens”, indicates Sylvie, the health assistant and elderly person of the Eelv municipality.
In Paris air conditioning is not normal because they are historically protected buildings. There are also hotels without air conditioning.
A state-sponsored house insulation campaign has begun to combat high temperatures. The vineyards suffer from heat and climate change.
hot in Britain
There is also a heat wave in Britain. Sun worshipers in London and the South East are experiencing temperatures as high as 29.4 ° C this Thursday, ahead of tomorrow’s hottest day of the year. Thousands of people have flocked to the capital’s parks and resorts, while beaches like Bournemouth and Dorset, where temperatures reach 23 ° C, are filled with bathers.
Temperatures on Thursday will exceed Wednesday’s sunny weather, when mercury hit 28 degrees, with the warm weather fueled in part by warm air from Spain and Portugal.
Temperatures are expected to be higher than usual in London this week. Photo: REUTERS
Both countries have seen temperatures exceed 40 degrees.
The heat in the UK is expected to rise to a ‘swell’ of 34 degrees in the South East on Friday, with the rest of England and Wales expected to see 27-30 degrees.
The highest temperature recorded in June in Britain was 35.6 ° C in Southampton, Mayflower Park on 28 June 1976.
The UK Health Safety Agency and the Met Office released it a hot alarm and health, earlier this week for London, East of England and South East from level two to third due to heat, meaning temperatures could affect public health.
Experts, some of whom attribute heat to climate change, have warned of the “serious” dangers surrounding this type of temperature.
Paris, correspondent
CB
Maria Laura Avignolo
Source: Clarin
