Paris (EFE).- Temperatures rose to 40°C (104°F) in some French cities on Friday during the latest peak of the prolonged heatwave this summer.
The heatwave is expected to subside starting this weekend, however, its end is not yet clear, and there is no rain in sight to alleviate the historic drought.
Thermometers hit the symbolic 40°C mark in Tours and Carcassonne and nearly reached it in Paris, Avignon, Chartres, and Amiens, which recorded 39°C (102°F). Other cities that nearly reached 40°C include Lyon, Beauvais, Toulouse, and Reims, which recorded 38°C (100°F).
As of Friday afternoon, Météo France’s orange heat alert was in effect in 83 of France’s 101 departments. Only a few were excluded, primarily those along the Belgian border, the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, and the Pyrenees.
The situation remains virtually unchanged on Saturday, although a gradual drop in temperatures is expected in the western half of the country and will spread eastward on Sunday; however, the heat wave will persist in the southeast until at least the beginning of next week.
Weather services estimate that temperatures will rise to 40°C in Montélimar on Saturday, 39°C in Lyon, 38°C in Auxerre or Vichy, 37°C (98°F) in Strasbourg, Metz, or Bourges, 36°C (96°F) in Reims, and 35°C (95°F) in Paris.
On Sunday, temperatures are expected to reach or slightly exceed 35°C only in cities near the Mediterranean coast, such as Montpellier and Montélimar, when a storm front arrives.
France has been experiencing the heat wave since Jul. 28, and it is already the third-longest since weather services began issuing these alerts.
Météo France does not anticipate any significant rainfall in its short- or medium-term forecasts that could alleviate the historic drought affecting nearly the entire country.
The high temperatures, combined with the unprecedented drought, fueled the spread of several wildfires on Friday.
The most significant of these is the wildfire that broke out Thursday afternoon in the Landes department. It continued to spread Friday, burning 1,300 hectares by midafternoon, according to the Prefect of Landes, Gilles Clavreul.EFE
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