France heatwave: June's record high revised up

As France gears up for a second spell of 40C temperatures next week, revised figures reveal that a new milestone was reached during the record-breaking June heatwave.

Realtime figures transmitted by an automated station at Gallargues-le-Montueux, Gard, initially set France's new record high temperature at 45.9C on June 28 - smashing the previous record of 44.1C set during the deadly heatwave of 2003. But new data, from manual stations run by volunteer observers - and verified by Météo France experts - confirms the highest temperature recorded on the hottest day of the year so far was 46C, at Vérargues, in neighbouring Hérault.

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Some 800 volunteer observers record weather data at manual stations across France for the Réseau Climatologique d'État (RCE), which shares the information with Météo France.

The previous high recorded in the Gard in August 2003 was beaten at numerous locations in the south of France during the June canicule.

The new record high temperature means only Greece (48C), Portugal (47.4C), Spain (47.3C), Italy (47C) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (46.2C) have higher official record temperatures in Europe, Météo France said.