France should expect another heatwave with a long hot summer that may lead to droughts in some areas

France should expect another heatwave with a long hot summer that may lead to droughts in some areas

FRANCE’S heatwave in 2019 broke temperature records all over the country and forecasters are warning residents to expect another long, hot summer in 2020.

Weather forecaster, Météo France has published its seasonal forecast and predicts that June, July and August will all be hotter and drier than normal for the French.

A rise in temperatures is already noticeable in the southern French city of Montepellier which recorded a temperature of 30ºC on Tuesday, May 19, the first time a temperature of over 30ºC had been recorded this early in the year.

On Thursday temperatures of 30.1ºC were recorded in Niort and Angers, 30.5ºC in Paris and 31.8ºC in Béziers.

The 2019 heatwave broke France’s all-time temperature record with the mercury climbing to 46ºC in the Hérault département, while local records were broken across the country, including Paris where a temperature of 42.6ºC was recorded on July 25.

“This has been a very regular phenomenon in recent years, a sign of global warming,” notes Michèle Blanchard, climatologist at Météo France.

There are also predictions that 58 French départements, roughly half the country, will be officially in drought conditions.