The record for Monday August 21 already broken: Tuesday was the hottest day ever recorded in France after August 15, with a national thermal indicator of 27.1 ° C, announced Météo-France, while the peak of the heat wave affecting the country is expected for next Wednesday or Thursday.

This value has only been reached or exceeded 24 times in France since 1947, mainly over the past 20 years, and never so late, specifies Météo-France. Monday, the national thermal indicator (daily average of the average air temperature recorded in 30 weather stations representative of the territory) was established at 26.63 ° C, beating the previous record of August 19, 2012 (26.44 °C).

These temperatures remain far from the absolute record of the national thermal indicator, set at 29.4 ° C on July 25, 2019. But the highest average temperatures are generally measured in late July-early August.

France has been going through one of its latest heat waves since August 17, with mercury expected to remain very high over a large southern half until Thursday. This late heat is part of the logic of global warming, which predicts that heat waves may not only be more intense, but also occur earlier or later than in the past.

In France, heat episodes occurring after August 15 remain rare: only six have occurred since 1947, all in the 21st century (2001, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017), confirming the predictions of climatologists on the impacts of climate change. climate caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

On Tuesday, the heat wave intensified over most of France. The thermometer reached 43°C in Puy-Saint-Martin (Drôme) and several absolute records, most dating from the emblematic heat wave of 2003, were beaten, such as in Orange in the Vaucluse (42.7°) or Durban- Corbières in the Aude (42.5°).

Wednesday noon, given the duration over several days of these high temperatures with little respite at night, the red heat wave vigilance will be extended to 19 departments on a wide diagonal from the Gers to Ain.

Maximum temperatures will reach 40 to 42 degrees, or even locally more, with probable records at stake, warns Météo-France. The minimums, observed in the middle of the night, are around 20 to 25 degrees in the regions affected by the heat wave, 26-27 around the Mediterranean. The highest temperature ever recorded in France was 46 degrees in Vérargues, Hérault, on June 28, 2019.