The heatwave affecting France continues to intensify. On Monday, May 25, temperatures reached 32 to 35°C across most of the country, with peaks of 36°C in the west. The Météo France weather service placed eight western departments under orange heatwave alert for Tuesday, indicating intense heat that could pose health risks. On Monday, 18 departments in the west and the Paris region were under yellow alert. This is the first time this alert system has been activated so early in the year.
Climatologist Christophe Cassou, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research at the École Normale Supérieure, analyzes this exceptional heatwave and calls for accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to what he describes as “climatic UFOs.”
How would you describe this current heatwave?
This episode is striking due to its intensity (with temperatures above 35°C), its early arrival, its duration (about 10 days), and its regional reach, as it is affecting all of Western Europe, including the United Kingdom and Ireland. Temperatures are 10 to 15°C above seasonal norms and have broken previous records by 2 or 3°C.
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