Heatwave to return to France with temperatures forecast to hit 40C

The sun and heat are returning to France this week, with nine departments already placed on orange alert -- the second highest warning -- for heatwaves by the country's national weather agency Meteo France.

 

The departments concerned are Ardèche, Drôme, Pyrénées-Orientales, Rhône, Alpes-Maritimes, Gard, Hérault, Isère and Vaucluse. 

 

People in these areas are advised to be very vigilant due to the risk of dangerous weather. The alerts were updated at 4 pm on Monday and are set to remain in place until at least 4 pm on Tuesday. 

 

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Weather map: Meteo France 

 

The mercury is set to reach a scorching 36C near the town of Montélimar in the Drome department on Monday afternoon.  

 

But these aren't the only places where people in France will be roasting. 

 

As of Monday afternoon, temperatures across most of the country are set to exceed 30C, with the city of Grenoble in the French Alps set to reach 35C. 

 

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Weather forecast for Thursday 2 pm - 8 pm. Map: Meteo France 

 

And from Wednesday things are set to get even hotter, with  "anticyclonic conditions" -- a weather phenomenon that sees a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure which can lead to clear skies and cooler, drier air -- meaning that the weather will be very dry. 

 

This will be particularly true in Normandy in the north east and the heat will intensify as the week progresses, especially in the Rhone Valley.

 

Temperatures are expected to reach between 37C and 39C in the south east, especially near Marseille and during the week, temperatures could even rise to 40C on the Mediterranean coast.

 

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Photo: AFP

 

By the end of the week, sunshine will be widespread across the country, with the mercury set to rise to 35C in the northern half of the country.

 

French weather site Meteo Villes is predicting a heatwave to take hold on Thursday or Friday and last until the following Tuesday. 

 

France has already had its fair share of hot weather so far this summer, with the month of July breaking weather records as the hottest July on record after 2006 and 1983.

 

 

Temperatures in July in France averaged two to four degrees above seasonal norms.

 

Last week 18 departments were placed on alert for heatwaves and in Paris roasting commuters resorted to recording the stifling temperatures on one of the city's busiest rail lines.