France heat: 130 records set on February 25 - will it continue?

A second day of significantly warmer than usual temperatures saw more than 130 seasonal heat records broken across France on Wednesday (February 25).

Highs of nearly 29C were recorded in the south-west and over 22C in Normandy across the day, which came alongside clear – and dry – skies.

February records were smashed from Orléans (Loiret, 22.4C) to Pointe de Socoa (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 28C). 

At Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie), a weather station at an altitude of 1,040m recorded a high of 21.1C. 

In parts of the Pays Basque, highs reached 28.7C (Trois-Villes and Navarrenx), beating national records recorded on Tuesday.

Media outlet Actu has a map showing the location of yesterday’s records.

Warm spell to remain despite incoming rain

Across the two days, temperatures were around 10C - 15C higher than average in most of France and particularly in the south-west and centre. 

Caused mainly by the presence of a high-pressure wind system from the Azores, the sustained warm temperatures are an anomaly for February.

However, they come after more than 40 days of national average temperatures being higher than usual in France. 

Despite the potential for rain across the west of France this weekend, mild temperatures should continue into next week, although highs are unlikely to reach those seen in the last two days.

Today, highs of around 17C to 18C in the north, and 20C to 22C in the south are forecast, although may reach higher in some locations.

Across the weekend, highs of 14C in the north and 16C in the south are forecast, before a return to averages around 17C to 18C on Monday. 

Farmers are warning of the risk of spring frosts to crops, after the unseasonal temperatures lead to early blooming flowers and buds. This is a particular risk to vineyards and fruit orchards.