France endured its most scorching day of the summer’s fourth major heatwave on Wednesday, July 29, with thermometers soaring to nearly 43°C in the southwest. The oppressive heat, which continued to fuel a devastating wildfire in the Gironde region, has prompted authorities to extend weather warnings across the country.
Record-Breaking Temperatures Across the Southwest
Météo-France confirmed that temperatures reached their climax over a large western portion of the country. The most extreme heat was recorded in the Landes commune of Bélis, where the mercury hit a blistering 42.7°C. This staggering peak was accompanied by several other unprecedented readings.
- Bergerac, in the Dordogne, sweltered under 41°C.
- Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, registered 40.2°C, a value described by the weather agency as “unprecedented for the station.”
The intense heat persisted into the evening. In Gironde, which remains on orange alert, Lacanau was still at 30°C by 7 p.m., while Bordeaux baked at 37°C. The situation remains critical as firefighters battle an ongoing blaze in the region. The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde issued a stark warning on social media, stressing that “the utmost vigilance remains essential” due to the dangerous combination of the orange heatwave alert and current weather conditions.
Heatwave Shifts East as Alert Zone Expands
The scorching episode is far from over. Météo-France has placed 23 departments on orange alert for Thursday, July 30, a significant increase from the 16 departments under warning on Wednesday. The newly affected areas include the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Vaucluse, and Corsica. An additional 69 departments on yellow alert.
However, a dramatic change is on the horizon. The weather agency forecasts a sharp cooldown arriving from the Atlantic coast overnight, which will see the Landes and Gironde regions downgraded to a green alert by 6 a.m. Thursday. “This drop is explained by a clear cooling that will take place along the Atlantic coast next night, while the intense heat intensifies in the east,” Météo-France stated in its update.
Violent Storms to Follow the Scorching Heat
As the weekend approaches, the weather pattern is expected to turn volatile. Météo-France predicts the arrival of potentially violent thunderstorms, which should help cool the atmosphere but bring their own risks. The storms are forecast to be particularly strong on Friday in the Centre-East region. Despite the incoming relief for many, the agency noted that “the strongest heat persists at the end of the week over the South-East” and remains unable to determine the full duration of this punishing heatwave.
