France sizzles with extremely high temperatures

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - France endured sweltering temperatures for the second time in the last month as a heatwave broke records in several cities Monday, according to the official weather service Meteo France.

Extreme peak heat was recorded on the western side of the country. By evening, temperatures rose to an absolute maximum of 42.6C (108.7F) in the town of Biscarrosse in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 42.4C (108.3F) in Cazaux, Occitanie. Both towns are located in southwestern France, which has been battling enormous fires since last Tuesday.

Exceptionally, in western France’s Brittany region, the city of Nantes witnessed a high of 42C (107.6F) and the town of Saintes in Charente-Maritime 41.1C (106F) for the first time since 1949.

Several other locations beat the previous heat record, according to Meteo France, including La Roche-sur-Yon, Cholet, Niort, Saint-Nazaire, Angers, Lanmeur, Saint-Brieuc, Brest and Chassiron.

Fifteen departments on the Atlantic coast, including Charente, Charente-Maritime, Cotes-d'Armor, Dordogne, Finistère, Gers, Gironde, Ille-et-Vilaine, Landes, Loire-Atlantique, Lot-et-Garonne, Maine-et-Loire, Morbihan, Deux-Sevres and Vendee have been placed on red alert and citizens asked to be vigilant due to the maximum temperatures. Additionally, 69 departments are listed on the orange list.

The heatwave is likely to abate on Tuesday and Wednesday in most parts of the country, said Meteo France.

In June, France experienced the early onset of a heatwave for four days, with absolute temperature records set at 43C (109.4F).