Red heatwave alerts continue as storms sweep across France
South-west and Brittany are the only areas likely to avoid storms this evening after several temperature records were broken in the south yesterday
Four departments remain on the highest alert possible for heatwave conditions
SERDTHONGCHAI / Shutterstock
Heatwave alerts remain in place across much of central and eastern France, but upcoming storms are expected to clear the air in several regions.
Four departments remain on the highest-possible red alert for heatwave conditions (Aube, Yonne, Loiret, Loire-et-Cher), with 55 others on a tier-three orange warning, mostly in the east and south-east.
Around 8,000 homes are without power this afternoon due to the heat, largely in Occitanie and the south-east.
Warnings were reduced in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region on July 2, despite midnight temperatures the night before remaining at 29.5C. Around 500 people in the capital have been given temporary shelter due to the extreme temperatures.
Alerts along the western coast have been lifted completely as a wave of cooler temperatures moves in from the ocean. Further inland in the west, warnings have lowered to a less severe tier-two yellow level, after being on a heightened orange warning yesterday.
More than 2,000 schools will remain closed as a precautionary measure against the heat.
Meanwhile, much of the country is facing a tier-two yellow alert for stormy conditions or heavy rain, as the start of a brief but powerful bout of storms is set to begin in the evening.
Only the interior south-west and parts of Brittany are likely to stay clear of storms today, with storms forecast in the Pyrénées, Alps, Massif Central, and Occitanie.
A powerful storm is forming in the north and north-east, and is likely to hit the capital in the evening.
On June 30, a 70-year-old man died after being carried away by a mudslide caused by heavy storms in Bardonecchia, Italy.
July records broken on first day of month
One cause for the temperature drop in western areas is a lack of sunlight, with cloudy – but rain-free – skies dominating.
Less than three hours of sunshine is forecast along parts of the Atlantic, compared to 12 hours in Nice and parts of central France.
Temperatures of around 24C in the Pays-Basque are in contrast to the potential 37C in eastern France and 39C in Lyon, although overall conditions are unlikely to reach the highs of July 1.
Several cities in the south broke July heat records yesterday, including Nîmes, Avignon and Durban-Corbières.
Storms will appear in the mountains and north-east from the late afternoon onwards, lowering humidity in the air and paving the way for temperatures to drop by up to 13C on Thursday.
Original forecasts predicted storms would continue well into July 3, but are now expected to be limited to the Alpine regions.
The number of heatwave warnings will continue to drop on Thursday and Friday. However, they may remain in place along the Mediterranean for several days, as temperatures are set to remain high.
