Hot weather returns to the Côte d’Azur with temperatures above 30°C
Hot weather is returning to the Côte d’Azur from Thursday, with temperatures expected to remain above seasonal averages through the weekend.
The Alpes-Maritimes and Var are set for several days of warm and sunny conditions, as a wider spell of unusually high September temperatures affects southern France.
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In the Alpes-Maritimes, temperatures are expected to approach 30°C along the coast on Thursday, with Nice forecast to reach around 30°C.
It will be hotter inland, where temperatures could climb to around 32°C in places such as Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée and Puget-Théniers this weekend.
Elsewhere in southern and south-western France, the heat will be more intense.
Météo-France says temperatures could reach 35°C to 38°C on Thursday and Friday, with 40°C possible locally, and some September temperature records could be challenged.
The hot spell is expected to last for three to four days and mainly affect areas stretching from Aquitaine towards the northern Alps.
Météo-France has said the episode is significant for early September, although it is not expected to be comparable with the major heatwaves experienced during the summer.
The return of high temperatures comes after an exceptionally hot summer and continues a pattern of unusually warm conditions.
Météo-France projections suggest the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region could see its average annual temperature rise by 2.2°C by 2050 and 3.7°C by 2100, compared with the 1976–2005 reference period.
The hot conditions are expected to continue through the weekend before temperatures potentially begin to fall from the start of next week.