The month of September was the hottest ever recorded in France. And it’s not over. This Monday, record temperatures are expected, with 32 to 34 degrees in the center and southwest, and up to 36 in Béarn, warns Météo-France. The national heat record for a month of October, held by Ajaccio with 35 degrees in 1988 and, on the continent, by Dax with 34.7 degrees in 1985, could therefore be erased.
The maximums will reach 32 to 34 degrees in the center and the southwest, locally 35 to 36 in Béarn. Only the edges of the Channel will be below 25 degrees. The minimums will be decreasing everywhere but will remain above seasonal values with 10 to 15 degrees in the northern half of the country, 15 to 19 further south.
A “slew of records”
After already historic heat in September, France recorded unprecedented temperatures on Sunday for the month of October: a “slew of records” were broken, such as 31°C in Aix-en-Provence, 31.2°C in Poitiers, 32°C in Brive, 32.5°C in Bordeaux or 33°C in Toulouse, according to Météo-France.
In the Massif Central, Aurillac saw its heat record in October re-evaluated by four degrees, to 31.2°C, compared to 26.6°C previously. And the temperature reached 34.4°C in Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Some maximums exceeded seasonal norms by more than 10 degrees.
Two exceptionally warm years
These exceptional temperatures come in the wake of a record September, the hottest on record, continuing a streak of almost two years above seasonal norms.
A heat which is consistent with the observations of climatologists according to which climate change of human origin increases not only the severity of heatwaves but also their precocity or their late occurrence.