Record temperatures expected across France as early autumn heatwave kicks in

As French schools reopen after the summer holidays, French meteorologists forecast a week of unseasonably hot weather over the coming week – with this Monday set to be the hottest day – as temperatures are expected to rise well over 30°Celsius across most of the country.

FILE PHOTO: A woman enjoys the sun in the Tuileries gardens, July 2023. Méteo France has forecast a week of unseasonally hot weather for September over the coming week. AP - Thomas Padilla

According to Méteo France, a long sequence of very hot weather will engulf the country, with no significant drop in temperature before next Sunday.

Record temperatures are expected to be broken by the latest heatwave, with forecasters say it will probably be "unprecedented for September."

Meteorologists predict that Monday 4 September will see "a marked rise [in temperatures], which will exceed 30°C over almost the whole of France by mid-afternoon."

Météo-France has also warned that the hot spell will persist and it will be "unseasonably hot."

🌡️ Épisode de fortes chaleurs tardives et durables à venir.

➡️ Lundi, une masse d’air très chaud pour la saison devrait englober une large partie Ouest du pays.
➡️ Globalement, ces températures élevées devraient durer toute la semaine.

👉 Plus d'infos : https://t.co/QfhhiV1JR8 pic.twitter.com/GLPV34WESb

— Météo-France (@meteofrance) September 3, 2023

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Hotter than 50 year average

High temperatures are expected from dusk till dawn, with the southern city of Toulouse already registering 26°C at 5am.

Maximum temperatures will rise to between 26°C and 31°C north of the Seine river and from 32°C to 35°C further south.

This heatwave will particularly hit in the north of France's western Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, where temperatures in La Rochelle ar expected to rise to 36°C by Monday afternoon.

To date, Méteo-France has never recorded higher than 35°C in September and  the temperature difference is 6.7°C warmer than averages measured on a 4 September between 1971 and 2000.