Temperatures of up 40 degrees Celsius are expected again in parts of the south of France and the Mediterranean island of Corsica Thursday, as the whole of southern Europe struggles with extreme heatwaves.
France recorded record temperatures on Wednesday, with temperatures in Verdun, in the foothills of the Pyrenees reaching a a high of 40.6 degrees Celsius, while 29.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d'Huez.
Other records were confirmed in the far south of the country - Aups (38.6 degrees Celsius) and Vauvenargues (37.3 degrees Celsius) - as well as in Renno in the hills of Corsica (38.3 degrees Celsius).
France recorded an all-time record high temperature in 2019 of 46 degrees Celsius in the southern town of Verargues.
Adapting to the heat
Local authorities in the Bouches-du-Rhône and eight other departments in the south of France are working to adapt to the heatwave currently covering the Mediterranean.
Marseille's mayor Benoît Payan announced Tuesday that municipal swimming pools would be accessible free of charge "until the end of the heatwave", which is expected to continue until at least Friday.
🌡️ Vigilance #canicule orange 🟠
— Benoît Payan (@BenoitPayan) July 18, 2023
Pour vous aider face à la canicule, les piscines municipales de Marseille seront gratuites dès demain pour toutes et tous, et jusqu’à la fin de l’épisode caniculaire !
Prenez soin de vous et de vos proches, adoptez les bons réflexes. pic.twitter.com/6wCdmBofLO
Measures have also been put into place in the Alps to avoid fires, by restricting access to the mountains.
In Montpellier, a room with refreshments has also been open for homeless people - a measure that has been seen increasingly in France since the major heatwave of 2003 which killed 15,000 people.
World records
The European Union's climate observatory told French news agency AFP on Wednesday that the world is on track for its hottest July since measurements began.
"The first 15 days of July have been the warmest 15 days on record," said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
"July is on track to be the warmest July on record," he added.
Governments across the south of Europe issued safety warnings, while Greece is battling widespread wildfires.
Romania, Slovakia and Poland are to send some 230 firefighters to help it tackle the blazes.
Climate change
Experts have confirmed the links between the extreme heat and climate change.
Heatwaves across Europe and the globe are "not one single phenomenon but several acting at the same time", said Robert Vautard, director of France's Pierre-Simon Laplace climate institute. "But they are all strengthened by one factor: climate change."
Anne Bringault, programme director at Réseau Action Climat in France, told RFI that while these types of heatwaves will not occur every summer, they will become increasingly frequent, warning that in the future, cities like Paris could see temperatures hitting 50 degrees Celsius.
(with AFP)
