GAIZKA IROZ / AFP
Biarritz, in the southwest of France, on April 6, 2024, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, where heat records were broken.
WEATHER – Worrying. This Saturday, April 6, France experienced its hottest day ever observed before April 15, notes Météo France, in its 4 p.m. bulletin. Not only did the average temperature in France reach 17.6 degrees, unprecedented during this period, but in addition, around fifty monthly heat records were shattered in 24 hours.
The national thermal indicator, which averages the daily temperature at thirty stations spread across the entire French territory, recalls The world, therefore exceeded 17 degrees. “ This value is the average around June 10 – 15! »laments the meteorologist Guillaume Séchet on X.
This exceptional heat peak is mainly due to hot air coming from the Sahara crossing France, the effect of which is reinforced by global warming. It takes place in a context where temperatures have been above standards in France for 26 months in a row.
More than 30 degrees in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
As you can see in the map belowshared by BFMTV weather presenter, Kevin Floury, he made “up to 33.7°C in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, almost 30°C in Alsace, 24°C between Clermont-Ferrand and Paris”. The 30 degree mark is normally exceeded in May or June, recalls Meteo France.
It is especially in the South-West that the red line of the thermometer was crossed, and more than ten old heat records were erased in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The mercury rose to 32 degrees in Pau, beating the old record of May 8, 1945 by 32 days, notes Gaétan Heymes, forecasting engineer, in the tweet below.
Still in the Pyrenees Altantiques, 34 degrees were reached in Orthez, and 32 degrees in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, indicates Météo France. In Larrau, two fires broke out during the day, burning more than 150 hectares in their path, reports the daily South West.
In the table belowyou can see the fifty records recorded at 4 p.m. in the south of France.
Quick return to “normal”
The blowtorch affected many other towns located in the northwest, according to measurements from Météo France. With a minimum temperature of 15.3 degrees, Angers, for example, beat its previous monthly record dating from April 2023. In Nantes, it was a minimum of 15 degrees, one degree more than in April 2018.
The heat was made even more stifling this Saturday by a cloud of sand from the Sahara, which clogged the air in many cities. The air was difficult to breathe, but certain landscapes turned sepia with dust were still beautiful to observe. In the two photos belowyou can observe the cloudy sky in Sables-d’Olonne and Lyon.
Fortunately, from Sunday, the thermometer should show lower values. The temperatures “ will begin to fall from the west on Sunday in the wake of a rain-stormy deterioration »indicates Météo France, which specifies that a ” back to normal “ is planned ” At the beginning of next week “.
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