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France issues 'red alert' warning amid extreme heat

August 21, 2023

France issued red alert warnings for four administrative regions in the south, where temperatures are expected to shoot above 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

https://p.dw.com/p/4VPbf
A man rests under the shade of a tree in southern France, August 19. as high temperatures sweep the country
France has invested in early warning systems after extreme heat in 2003 killed thousand of peopleImage: Daniel Cole/AP Photo/picture alliance

France issued an extreme heat warning Monday for four regional departments as temperatures scorched the country once again.

The "red alerts," which allow local authorities to take measures to protect people from the heat, are in place in the southern regions of Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire.

Temperatures are expected to peak at 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rhone. This is the first time weather service Meteo France issued the alert this year.

Meteo France issued an "orange alert" for half of the country as well, saying temperatures will reach between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius (between 95 and 100.4 Fahrenheit).

Temperatures are expected to rise between 40 and 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday afternoon in the southern administrative regions of Ardeche, Drome, Vaucluse and Gard, Meteo France said.

France recorded its highest temperature in June 2018, when mercury levels in Verargues in southern France hit 46 degrees Celsius.

A man carrying a pack of water bottles
The red alert warning system allows local authorities to prepare people for extreme temperatures Image: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP

Europe swelters under record-breaking temperatures

Southern Europe has been gripped by recurring high temperatures, with the mercury in parts of Greece, eastern Spain, and Sardinia reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in July.

Italy's capital Rome recorded its hottest day ever in July, while temperatures in Girona in Spain's Catalonia region hit a record 45 degrees Celsius last month too.

Greece battled deadly wildfires, while the planet registered its hottest day in July since record-keeping began.

Greece facing longest heat wave on record

Scientists overwhelmingly agree that warming atmosphere will lead to stronger heat waves and human-caused greenhouse gas emissions were making heat waves hotter than they would have been.

More than 61,000 people died because of last year's summer heat waves across Europe, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

rm/jcg (Reuters, AFP)