Temperature may pass highest on record in France

Risingbd Desk: France may hit its highest-ever recorded temperature on Friday in a heatwave that has swept across Europe this week.

The current record is 44.1C (111.4F) - measured during a heatwave in 2003 which killed thousands of people.

In response, France's national weather service has issued an unprecedented red alert warning for four regions in the south.

Most of the country remains on orange alert, the second-highest level.

Swathes of the continent are experiencing extreme heat. Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic have all recorded their highest-ever June temperatures, and in Spain firefighters are battling Catalonia's worst wildfires in 20 years.

Meteorologists say hot air drawn in from northern Africa is responsible, caused by high pressure over central Europe and a storm stalling over the Atlantic.

In southern France, areas of Gard, Vaucluse, Herault and Bouches-du-Rhone are expected to see temperatures between 42C and 45C on Friday.

French authorities have stepped up restrictions on water use to combat the heatwave's effects, while hundreds of schools have been closed.

In a TV interview, health minister Agnès Buzyn said she was concerned about the increase in calls to emergency service numbers as a result of the heatwave.

She called on members of the public to avoid "risky behaviour" like leaving children in cars or jogging outside in the middle of the day.


risingbd/June 28, 2019/Mukul