Météo-France has placed five departments on orange alert against the heat wave, while a new heat wave should settle in the south of France at the start of the week. Ardèche, Drôme, Vaucluse and Gard are concerned in the South-East, as well as Pyrénées-Orientales. “The intensity and duration” of this new heatwave episode “will be less than those of the previous episode”, specifies however Météo-France.
The ten other departments in the south-eastern quarter of France have been placed on yellow alert. Temperatures were already high on Sunday afternoon from Roussillon to Provence, with values of 34 to 37 degrees. “The heat is intensifying again,” warned Météo-France. During the night from Sunday to Monday, the temperature will not drop below 23 to 25 degrees on the coastal plains of Languedoc and it will also be very mild towards the lower Rhône valley, no less than 20 to 23 degrees.
The peak of heat Wednesday at the national level
Monday, the heat will be felt in the morning and in the afternoon, with temperatures of 35 to 38 degrees in the departments placed in orange vigilance and peaks at 39 degrees towards the Gard. “This strong heat will extend Tuesday and Wednesday to many regions”, forecasts Météo-France. On the scale of France, the peak of heat is expected for Wednesday with maximum often greater than or equal to 35 ° C and peaks at 39 or 40 degrees in the southwest.
To limit the risk of fire, access to all the forests of Vaucluse has been strictly prohibited since Saturday. In the Bouches-du-Rhône, 11 of the 25 forests in the department were closed again on Sunday, after a complete closure for several days in July due to the extreme risk of fire.