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Local France
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Local France
In numbers: Are summers in France really getting hotter?
Picture your childhood, and you'll often see it bathed in sunshine - especially if you were lucky enough to have holidays in the south of France as a youngster. But in the 21st century discussion of sunny weather is just as likely to be accompanied by heatwave alerts and warnings of the risk to health. So is it the weather that has changed, or how we respond to it? Some things are hard to measure, but fortunately temperature isn't one of them. France has kept detailed national temperature records since 1900, which gives us a decent data to play with, and overall we can see that France is getting hotter. The temperatures Météo France, the French national weather forecaster, says : "Since 1900, the average temperature in France has warmed by 1.7C. "Every decade since 1970 has been warmer than the previous one. Over the last ten years, from 2011 to 2020, the rise has been +0.6C, the highest increase observed between two decades in France since 1900." Overall, 2022 was the hottest year on record in France, with a record 33 days meeting officially defined heatwave conditions: five in June and 14 in both July and August. Advertisement The average covers the entire year, but the data also shows that summers (which Météo France counts as running from June 1st to August 31st) are also getting hotter. The hottest summers recorded since 1900 are all recent ones - 2003, 2022, 2018, 2023 and 2019. The below chart shows the average summer temperature for the years 1900 to 2024 compared to the overall average for the century, with the summers below average in blue and those above average in red - the red bars are heavily clustered around the most recent years. Average summer temperatures from 1900 to 2024 compared to the average - with below average in blue and above average in red. Graphic: Meteo France But the summer isn't just about the average temperature, it's also about heatwaves. A heatwave is defined by Météo France as a period of several days when the temperature is above average for the region - that's the reason that the same temperature can be a 'heatwave' in one part of France, but not in another - it's about what is considered normal for that area. And the French data shows that heatwaves are becoming a lot more common. Between 1947 and 2024, Météo-France recorded 49 heatwaves - between 1947 and 1957, four heatwaves were recorded. This figure has increased five-fold over the last 10 years and between 2014 to 2024, 20 heatwaves were recorded. The heatwaves themselves are also happening earlier in the summer , and are recording higher temperatures - France's national record for the hottest day was set in 2019 (in Hérault which recorded 46C in the shade). That same year multiple local records were broken, including in Paris which recorded 42.6C. "We have observed, in a very well-documented manner, that heatwaves are occurring earlier and earlier, lasting longer and longer, and becoming more intense," Météo-France forecaster François Gourand told Franceinfo . Weather alerts But while it's beyond any reasonable doubt that France's summers are indeed getting hotter, there has also been a change in weather forecasting and the response. The impetus for this in France was the summer of 2003 - when a particularly severe and long-lasting heatwave led to the deaths of 15,000 people, many of them elderly people who died alone at home. This brought people face to face with the hard fact that heatwaves are not simply uncomfortable - they can be fatal. Advertisement Stung into action, local and national government began seriously improving their heatwave plans - now every authority has plans to protect the vulnerable in hot weather, including 'cool rooms' open to the public and a register of people who might be at risk in a heatwave, who can request check-ups. In urban areas, leaders got serious about installing drinking water points, cool air misters and access to shady and air conditioned spaces. Since 2003 there have been heatwaves that have lasted longer and have recorded higher temperatures - but that huge death toll has never been repeated, thanks in large part to the warnings and protective measures deployed. Heatwaves do still kill though - in 2023 (France's fourth hottest summer on record) 400 people died during in a two-week heatwave in August. Overall 5,000 excess deaths were recorded between June 1st and September 15th 2023, of which 1,500 were attributed to the heat. READ ALSO : Explained: How dangerous are French heatwaves?✎ Météo France has also developed its traffic light weather warning system so that heatwave risks are graded from green (no risk) through yellow and orange to red, the highest alert level which means a possible danger to life . Advertisement When a red alert is issued certain emergency plans swing into place and local authorities also get extra powers to do things like cancel large public events if they decide it is necessary. Heatwaves don't just make it hot though - they also increase the risk of drought and wildfire. Since 2022 - France's worst year on record for wildfires when 72,000 hectares (an area seven times the size of Paris) burned - Météo France also issues a daily wildfire risk map during the summer, in which places are graded based on their risk. As with the weather map, once a red alert is in place local authorities get the power to do things like close forests and national parks or cancel fireworks displays. READ ALSO : Is France ready for a summer of increasingly severe wildfires?✎ You can expect widespread news coverage when red warnings for either heatwave or wildfires are issued. So yes, you're likely to see more media coverage around the negative effects of heat - but French summers are definitely getting hotter.
Local France
20-06-2025
- Climate
- Local France
Heatwaves in France: earlier, hotter, longer
"We have observed, in a very well-documented manner, that heatwaves are occurring earlier and earlier, longer and longer, and more intense," Météo-France forecaster François Gourand told Franceinfo . Although heatwaves are far from a new phenomenon, Météo France's records show that they are becoming more and more common as global temperatures rise. READ ALSO 'Avoid iced water and air-conditioning on max' - How the French stay cool in a heatwave Between 1947 and 2024, national forecaster Météo-France recorded 49 heatwaves - defined in France as an episode where temperatures are abnormally high for several days. Advertisement READ ALSO How hot will it get in France this summer? Between 1947 and 1957, four heat waves were recorded. This figure has increased fivefold over the last 10 years, from 2014 to 2024. They will become increasingly common by the end of the century. By 2050, when France will already be, on average, 2.7C warmer than the pre-industrial period, the number of heatwave days will increase fivefold again, according to Météo-France. And tenfold in a France 4C hotter than the pre-industrial period, by 2100. To put that into perspective, we're currently running at around 1.7C above pre-industrial norms. READ ALSO In Maps: The five worst French cities to spend a heatwave in Climate change is making France hotter on average. But heatwaves will get more intense. To calculate a national heatwave, Météo-France runs the numbers of the national heat index – it must exceed 25.3C for one day and 23.4C for at least three days for the French forecaster to declare a heatwave. Back during the deadly 16-day heatwave in 2003, when temperatures above 40C were recorded in Toulouse, Lyon, Dax and Orange, the national heat index rose past 29C. In 2019, a heatwave of shorter duration – when a new local record high temperature of 46C was set in the Hérault, the national heat index was higher still. READ ALSO How to get a good night's sleep in a French heatwave Beyond their accelerated frequency and intensity, these heatwaves are starting to hit France earlier and later in the summer. A mid-June heatwave such as the one we're entering here, which was once considered unseasonably early, is now increasingly common – while it has also become more common in recent years to experience these weather phenomena after August 15th. Our children, and our children's children are likely to endure heatwaves from mid-May all the way through to the end of September, experts warn.
LeMonde
19-06-2025
- Climate
- LeMonde
'Early' heatwave with temperatures reaching 38°C to sweep France, peaking Saturday
France hasn't even entered summer yet, and it's already going to be sweltering. The country was expected, starting Thursday, June 19, to undergo its 50 th heatwave since records began in 1947, with temperatures reaching up to 38°C in some areas. "It will be early, with remarkable heat levels for June, though not unprecedented," said Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Météo-France, the French national meteorological service. Starting Thursday, the already high temperatures are set to climb even further, reaching between 32°C and 35°C in eastern France. The reason is a blocking anticyclone over much of Europe that "allows for a gradual increase in heat," explained François Gourand, a forecaster at Météo-France. On Friday, a cold drop (a pocket of colder air at altitude) over the nearby Atlantic is expected to draw even hotter air from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. As a result, temperatures are forecast to hit between 34°C and 36°C in western France and between 36°C and 38°C in the center-west and Mediterranean regions. Nights at a minimum of 20°C On Saturday, at the peak of the wave, the heat is set to be intense, with values frequently between 34°C and 38°C, especially throughout western France and the inland Mediterranean region. The nights will be tropical, meaning that temperatures will not fall below 20°C, preventing the body from getting a good night's rest. Other European countries, such as Spain and the United Kingdom, will also be affected.
Local France
17-06-2025
- Climate
- Local France
French forecasters predict nationwide heatwave this week
Temperatures are predicted to start to rise on Wednesday, with an average of 30C across the country before spiking on Thursday and Friday. "The mercury will rise slowly to around 33C on Thursday, before reaching 34 or 35C on Friday, expected to be the hottest day of the episode', Météo France's François Gourand told Le Parisien . Although the whole country will see high temperatures, it is predicted to be slightly cooler in the west. Temperatures are expected to fall slightly over the weekend, but forecasters predict that the period of hot weather will last into the start of next week. The cause is an 'Omega blockage' - a front of warm air from southern Europe that is predicted to get stuck over France and the southern part of England, leading to a sustained period of hot temperatures. READ ALSO : Everything you need to know about staying cool in a French heatwave✎
