First heatwave warnings of 2024 in France with up to 40C expected
Alerts have been raised in parts of the south
Heatwave warnings will only be raised in areas where nighttime temperatures are above a certain level
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Temperatures across parts of southern France are set to reach 40C today (July 18) – and up to 32C in the north – as a blast of summer heat hits the country.
All areas of the country, with the exception of coastal parts of the English Channel, will see highs of 30C, with the warm weather leading into the weekend.
On Thursday, temperatures of nearly 40C will hit the south-west, particularly near Toulouse. Temperatures will be more than 10C higher than usual in some places.
Temperatures will remain similar on Friday (July 19) and Saturday (July 20), remaining particularly warm in the east and south-east.
Sunday (July 21) will see temperatures drop however, when skies across much of the country turn cloudy.
As the hot weather arrives, below are some phrases you might hear people using (or can even use yourself).
Read more: 9 French expressions to use when there is hot weather
First official heatwave warnings of 2024 raised
The blistering daytime heat will be accompanied by warm night temperatures near the Mediterranean, leading to canicule warnings being raised on mainland France for the first time this year.
Tier-two yellow warnings are in place in south-eastern departments, from the Var to Ardèche.
Read more: What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings
Elsewhere, temperatures will remain cool in the evenings and are unlikely to pass 20C. Heatware warnings will not be raised elsewhere as temperatures will not stay high long enough.
There are two types of heatwave warnings in France.
Vague de chaleur (literally, heatwave) warnings apply when temperatures – usually the national average temperature for France – reach above a certain level for three consecutive days.
Canicule warnings are raised when both daytime and nighttime temperatures reach above a certain level for three consecutive days. These are more commonly raised in individual departments, as temperature limits for canicule warnings are based on local, and not national, averages.
Read more: What are the different heatwave warnings in France?
You can see which departments are under heatwave warnings on the official Météo France website.
