Temperatures ‘to hit 40C’

THIS weekend will be the hottest of the summer, with temperatures possibly rising to as much as 40C, forecasters say.

Temperatures are expected to soar from tomorrow (Friday), and become hotter over the weekend.

Experts say it is too early to say whether an official heatwave will be declared, however it is possible. For this both night-time and day-time temperatures have to be above set limits (varying by area) for three days in a row.

If it is certain they will be exceeded either today or tomorrow then an orange heatwave alert is expected to be announced, meaning people should be very careful because of dangerous weather conditions.

Temperatures could reach 36-40 degrees in the south-west and centre-west and in parts of the Rhône-Alpes up to the southern part of Burgundy. Toulouse is expected to reach 38 degrees – 10 above the usual average for the period – and Clermont-Ferrand could hit 40C on Sunday.

In the northern half of the country temperatures are expected to be around 34-36C and coastal areas will see a cooling effect from the sea with temperatures of 24-28C along the Channel, 25-26C in Brittany and 30-34C on the Mediterranean.

It is thought the hot weather will continue until the middle of next week in much of France, though in the north-west quarter of the country they may start dropping from Monday.

The dangers of high temperatures were highlighted this week when two brothers aged 10 and 12 almost died of heat exposure after being left in a locked car in the car park of a Corsican beach.

The owner of a business on the beach broke a window to let the children out after failing to find their parents. Corse-Matin said the children, thirsty and covered in sweat, were banging on the windows. Their parents did not return for another two hours.

The couple said the boys had wanted to rest while they went for a walk. They said they had accidentally activated the electronic door locking mechanism as they left.

Photo:Lykaestria