Heat wave: Expert warns of ‘unprecedented’ hot period
More than a dozen French departments stay on orange alert Friday as the country’s authorities warn residents of: warm weather conditions that can have a significant impact on their health, homes and daily activities.
Some 14 areas have been designated as such: Ardèche, Dordogne, Drôme, Gard; Haute-Garonne, Gers, Gironde, Landes, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne and Vaucluse.
In southwestern France, where the sun shines, a very hot air mass can raise the temperature to 38°C in the afternoon.
In the Midi-Toulousain it can get even hotter up to 40C.
The scorching heat is also expected near the Mediterranean, with forecaster La Chaîne Météo warning of the danger of fire.
It read: “Winds are increasing, reinforcing the risks of fire outbreaks.”
Dangerous fires have broken out across the country this week.
READ MORE: Level 4 Heat Wave Warning – Who’s at Risk and How Hot Will It Get?
A heat wave in Europe is causing devastating wildfires across the continent (Image: GETTY/WXCHARTS)
The temperature in France will rise to 38 degrees on Friday afternoon (Image: WXCHARTS)
In the Gironde region, more than 6,000 people were evacuated from campsites when firefighters tackled two wildfires – one of them in the Atlantic Arcachon Bay area, with heavy dark clouds of smoke rising into the sky.
The largest fire occurred in the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, closing roads and evacuating 500 residents.
Forest fires also brought chaos Portugal, Spain and Turkey.
About 3,500 firefighters in Portugal are fighting dozens of fires as temperatures break records by exceeding 45C in several parts of the country.
In Spain’s western region of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, firefighters battled a blaze that invaded the province of Salamanca in the Castile and León region, setting fire to more than 4,000 hectares.
The area of Spain bordering Portugal has experienced particularly extreme temperatures (Image: WXCHARTS)
Extreme heat has also hit Turkey, a top destination among Britons (Image: WXCHARTS)
National Meteorological Service AEMET said parts of the regions of Extremadura, Andalusia and Galicia were on red alert for extreme heat, adding that Huelva province had reached a blistering 45.6C on Wednesday.
More than 3,000 people have been evacuated in Turkey due to a wildfire on the southwestern Datca peninsula, where the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas meet.
Nine helicopters, five planes and several other firefighting vehicles were sent to the region as televised images showed smoke from trees spreading through the forests in the tourist area.
The fire brought back memories of last summer’s fires, which destroyed 140,000 hectares (345,950 acres) of the Turkish countryside – the worst on record.
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Smoke coming from trees, burned hectares of forest in Turkey’s Datca Peninsula (Image: GETTY)
While it may seem different, this year’s heat wave hasn’t reached its peak yet.
It is expected in France on Monday, with temperatures likely to break all records.
As the heat “gets intense between Sunday and next Tuesday”, Météo France said, on Monday “monthly temperature records will be approached or even exceeded at the peak of the episode (…) in the southwest, center-west and lower Rhone valley” .
It added: “This day could also be one of the hottest ever recorded in France.”
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The previous record was a daytime average of 29.4C, reached in August 2003 and July 2019.
Still, there is no guarantee that such temperatures will be reached again, because it is difficult, explains Mathieu Sorel of Météo France, “to draw an analogy between the different heat waves we have experienced and the ones we will soon experience”.
home, the With Office issued a rare red warning for many parts of England meaning the extreme weather could lead to “serious illness or death”.
The warning came as “exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures” are expected early next week.
Spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have just issued a red warning of extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, the first warning ever.
“The warning covers an area from London to Manchester and then to the Vale of York.
“This is potentially a very serious situation.”
Additional report Maria Ortega