PARIS (AFP) – Tens of millions of people in France sweated through a late summer heatwave yesterday, with record temperatures expected in the Rhone valley region and a forest fire also blazing in the southeast.
Temperatures are expected to peak today and tomorrow, with the most intense heat in the southern parts of the country where the mercury is already pushing past 40 degrees Celsius.
Health authorities have placed 50 out of 96 departments in mainland France in the second-highest heat warning level, with some areas expected to be placed in the maximum red category in the coming days.
“Some records could be broken, notably on Tuesday in the Rhone valley with 40-42˚C expected,” national weather service Meteo France said.
The heatwave is “intense and long-lasting” and “particularly late in the season,” it added.
The current high temperatures are the hottest of the season, Meteo France said.
