France braced for potentially record-breaking 40°C heatwave

France braced for potentially record-breaking 40°C heatwave

National weather agency Meteo France says the hot weather could produce temperatures of up to 40°C across the country just as the summer tourist season shifts into high gear.

Temperatures are likely to hit 35°C in nearby Dinan on Thursday and 36°C the following day. Temperatures in Granville will be in the low 30s.

Jersey, meanwhile, is expected to see highs of 29°C on Friday and 28°C on Saturday.

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The French weather agency set the heat warning level at orange – the second highest intensity on its four-level categorisation system for potentially dangerous conditions requiring public vigilance.

In Paris, charity organisations are patrolling the streets to provide homeless people with water, while local authorities organised air-conditioned public places where people could seek shelter from the heat.

French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer, deciding it was too hot to study, ordered national exams taken by students heading to high school to be postponed from Thursday and Friday to next week.

France introduced a heat watch warning system after a long, deadly heatwave in August 2003.

The highest temperatures in more than half a century eventually were estimated to have caused 15,000 heat-related deaths, many of older people left in city apartments and retirement homes without air conditioning.

Meteorologists said hot winds from the Sahara Desert will continue to bring the scorching weather to Europe during the rest of the week. Similar heat is expected in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.

In Germany, temperatures above 40°C are possible in some places on Wednesday, topping the country’s previous June record of 38.2°C, set in Frankfurt in 1947.

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