This is unprecedented. France has been facing an exceptional heatwave for nearly a week. Météo-France has placed 54 départements on red alert for Tuesday 23 June, an alert that will affect around 39 million people.
On Monday, more than 450 heat records were broken or equalled across the country, making the day, with a national average temperature of 29.2 °C, the third hottest ever recorded. In the département of Cher, the temperature even climbed to 43.3 °C.
In Paris, the mercury could top 40 °C in the middle of the week. But the capital has already broken its temperature record for June, with 38.4 °C recorded on Monday.
Other cities also set new records, including Rennes (40.6 °C), Angers (40.9 °C), Saintes (42 °C) and Bordeaux (41.9 °C).
Another interministerial crisis unit will be chaired by Sébastien Lecornu on Tuesday, the second in a matter of days.
The night from Sunday to Monday was also exceptionally warm, particularly in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire, where minimum temperatures "never previously reached at any time of year" were recorded, Météo-France said. "Temperatures thus did not fall below 22.8 °C in Alençon, 23.2 °C in Saint-Nazaire, 23.4 °C in Tours and Blois, 24.6 °C in Poitiers and 24.9 °C in Cholet. A minimum temperature of 24.2 °C was recorded at Paris-Montsouris", the agency added.
Eighteen deaths
This heatwave, similar to that of August 2003, has already claimed several lives. On Monday, in the Vaucluse, two children were found dead in the family car after locking themselves inside. The day before, three elderly people died at their home in Gironde.
Swimming has also proved deadly. Over the weekend, 13 people drowned across the country, according to Civil Protection.
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