France on red alert, ‘intense and long-lasting’ heatwave creating ‘heat dome’
Also read: Wildfire spreads on Spain's Tenerife island, forces thousands to flee homes "Some records could be broken, notably on Tuesday in the Rhone valley with 40-42C expected," said the national weather service Meteo France. The heatwave is described as "intense and long-lasting" and arriving "particularly late in the season." This weather phenomenon results from a period of high pressure that has created a "heat dome" over the country. In 2022, following a suffocating summer of record temperatures and forest fires, France, for the most part, experienced a typical holiday period this year, avoiding the intense heat that scorched southern Europe in July.
Also read: British Columbia wildfires intensify: Authorities warn of difficult days ahead According to Meteo France, the current high temperatures mark the hottest of the season. Many people sought refuge from the heat by heading to municipal swimming pools, fountains, or the beach. Nathalie Chopin, speaking in the southeastern city of Lyon, remarked, "We went to the pool, so it was a cheap and easy way to fight the heat." "It's very hot.
Otherwise, we stay in in our apartments, close the shutters and shut ourselves in," she added. After several weeks of dry weather, local authorities in the southern Gard area of France restricted access to forests due to the elevated risk of fires. Around 260 firefighters were engaged in combatting a fire near the village of Chanousse in the foothills of the Alps in southeast France, according to the Association for the Prevention and Reporting of Forest Fires.
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