The weather will continue to be statistically excellent in France this Thursday. After a day of highs of nearly 30°C and record breaking in the South West on Wednesday, thermometers will once again experience unusual values for the season.
This is the same axis that will be affected by the highest value. This line stretches from the Southwest to the Jura through the center of the country. In addition, the entire country was also affected by temperatures that were much higher than the seasonal average, except for the Southeast region.
By 7am, the temperature was already almost 23°C – 22.9°C to be precise – in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), or 8°C higher than the normal forecast for midday at that time. In the afternoon, “after a cool morning, thermometer temperatures will range from 15°C to 19°C in the northern third as well as the southeast and from 20°C to 23°C from the Southwest to the south of the Pays de la Loire, in the Centre-Val de Loire and in Burgundy-Franche-Comté as well as on the edge of the Mediterranean and in Corsica”, details Météo France.
Again on the outskirts of the Pyrenees, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, the weather should be the hottest. “We once again observed temperature peaks of 24°C to 27°C,” the meteorological organization announced.
For example, temperatures of 25°C were crossed between 7am and 8am in Oloron. This level corresponds to the heat threshold. Under sunlight, temperatures can exceed 30°C.
In general, maximum temperatures will be between 5°C/6°C to around ten degrees higher than seasonal standards, sometimes higher. Depending on the region, this corresponds to late spring or early summer levels.
This situation is caused by upwelling of air from the Sahara combined with the presence of sand in the atmosphere. In addition, a geographical phenomenon increases air temperature: the Foehn effect. When descending on the other side of a mass, the air is compressed under increased atmospheric pressure; then it gets hotter. This is what is currently happening in the Pyrenean plain.
Arctic air mass next week
In addition to the very high temperatures of this season, Météo France put around twenty departments on yellow alert (level 2 of 4) this Thursday due to strong winds. It concerns the region stretching from the Pyrenees to the north of the Alps, through the Massif Central. Wind gusts are estimated to reach 60 km/h to 80 km/h. In some places, the situation could be even worse, with “90 km/h to 100 km/h, 120 km/h locally in Tarn, Haute-Garonne and Aude”, according to The Weather Channel.
However, the situation will change suddenly in the coming days. Air masses of arctic origin should dominate in France. Temperatures will drop drastically between the weekend and early next week. Tuesday, November 18, maximum temperatures could remain below 10°C in most of the country.
