Temperatures of 30C plus for all of France this week

On Tuesday, much warmer air from Spain will reach the south-western part of the country and then spread to the whole of France on Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperatures will rise to over 30C in many regions. On Tuesday temperatures will generally reach 26C to 30C in the northern half of France and 28C to 33C in the southern half.

From Thursday to Friday, Météo-France warns that the threshold of very high temperatures (35C) could be exceeded in some areas. However, there is no canicule (heatwave) alert.

A heatwave means that temperatures in the night are mild and days are very hot. This week the nights will remain cooler so this period of hot weather cannot technically be described as a heatwave.

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During the afternoon on Tuesday, 31C is expected in Lille and Strasbourg, 32C in Paris, 34C in Lyon and up to 35C in Toulouse.

This is between 8 and 10 degrees higher than seasonal averages. At the end of the week, temperatures could drop slightly but remain very high for the season, according to Méteo-France.

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This drop could be accompanied by thunderstorms from the west. Météo France reminded that 2019 was the third hottest year in France - after 2018 and 2014 - with two exceptional heatwaves and an absolute record of 46C.

There could be twice as many heatwaves between now and 2050, states Météo-France, due to global warming.

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