New temperature records have been set for the month of May in France.
Maximum temperature records for the month of May have been broken in several places on French territory, in the middle mountains and in the South, Météo-France announced on Saturday, while the country is experiencing unusual spring heat.
“A depression centered on the Iberian Peninsula brings very hot air to the southern half of the country,” said Météo-France in a press release. “The temperature has thus climbed very quickly, and certain maximum temperature records for the month of May have already been largely beaten at 4:00 p.m., in particular at medium altitude, but also in the Midi Toulousain”, continues the public establishment.
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He thus counts several provisional records recorded in the south in the afternoon, in particular on the relief: 34.4°C in Albi (compared to a previous record of 33.7°C on Wednesday), 32.4°C in Mende or 31 7°C in Aurillac.
In the resort of St Christol in the Vaucluse, located at an altitude of 836 m, the temperature rose to 29.4°C (previous record 28.1°C). Météo-France also recorded in the morning a minimum temperature record among the stations open for more than 20 years, with 15.8 ° C in Champagnole in the Jura, at 537 m altitude.
“The station has been open since 1998, and the previous record has been beaten by more than one degree”, it is specified. France has broken a record for a hot period in the spring with now 40 consecutive days above seasonal norms. This series began on April 11 and has still not been interrupted, said a spokesperson for Météo-France.
With the planet’s climate change, periods of heat are set to become more frequent and tend to set in earlier in the spring. The peaks are observed not only at the hottest of the day, but also at the lowest.