An unseasonal heatwave is hitting France, where record temperatures for the month of May were recorded yesterday, Sunday, and one death was reported during a race in Paris.
A participant in a race in the French capital died and about 10 runners in another race in a Paris suburb were taken to hospitals by emergency services, the fire service said.
According to the French meteorological service Météo-France, the mercury in Paris on Saturday exceeded 30° Celsius for the first time this year, reaching 31.9° Celsius.
This “early and remarkable heatwave”, according to Météo-France, is due to a “thermal dome” over France, an area of high pressure trapping warm air from North Africa. It is expected to intensify further today.
A total of 13 areas in western France have been put on a yellow heatwave alert, the first level of alert for the month of May since 2004, when the system was created.
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Yesterday temperatures exceeded 30° Celsius in many areas.
According to preliminary data from Météo-France, records for the month of May were broken on Sunday at at least ten weather stations, including the one in Brest in western France, where the mercury reached 29.8°C, beating the record set in May 2017.
Today temperatures are expected to reach 35°C in western France.
As Météo-France pointed out, this early heatwave “will last” and could persist at least until early next week.
Climatologists warn that recurrent heatwaves are a clear indication of climate change, caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. These heatwaves are expected to become more frequent, longer in duration and more intense.
