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A record high temperature for the Aude department in southern France has been registered as France enters the peak of a new heatwave sets in across the country. The south-west is particularly impacted.

Argeliers, in Aude (Occitanie) set a record with a high temperature of 43.4C on Sunday, August 10, reports Météo France and La Chaîne Météo. 

It comes as hot air moves northwards over France driven by the remnants of former tropical storm Dexter. The previous record for the department was 43.2C in August 2023. 

The highest temperature ever recorded in France was 46C in the village of Vérargues, Hérault, on June 28, 2019.

Heatwave to continue

Several other locations in the south of France also recorded extreme heat on Sunday.

In Gard, Villevieille reached 42.8C and Nîmes registered its highest August temperature since records began. 

In neighbouring Hérault, Moulès-et-Baucels and Prades-le-Lez reached 42.2C and 41.8C. 

Céret, in Pyrénées-Orientales, reported 41.3C, while Avignon in Vaucluse saw 40C.

A total of 42 departments were placed on high (orange) alert due to heatwave conditions by state forecaster Météo France on Sunday. 

The alert level has been raised for 12 of them from Monday, August 11, with a red warning issued for the Aude, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Gironde, Landes, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne.

Red alerts, the highest level of warning, are issued when heat is both intense and prolonged, with potential serious health impacts.

A further 41 departments are also on high (orange) alert, including much of central and southern France, as well as parts of the Alps and Mediterranean coast.

Maximum temperatures on Monday are forecast to reach between 40C and 42C across vast swathes of the south-west, and also climbing above 40C in the lower Rhône valley. 

Nighttime temperatures in these areas are also forecast to remain high, from 20C to 24C, and locally 23C to 25C between the Pyrénées-Orientales and the lower Rhône.

Authorities are urging residents to stay hydrated, limit physical activity during the hottest part of the day, and check on vulnerable people. 

Train services are also likely to be disrupted, with the SNCF already announcing the suspension of several Intercités routes due to the heat, including on the Paris-Limoges-Toulouse and Paris-Clermont-Ferrand lines.

Heat to spread on Tuesday

A total of 16 departments have been placed on maximum (red) alert for Tuesday, August 12, with a further 63 on high (orange) alert as the heat spreads north-east and intensifies in the north of the Rhône valley.

Météo France forecasts 36C to 38C in areas from Ile-de-France through the Grand Est to Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, with near-40C temperatures possible in the Lyon area.

While no record-breaking temperatures are expected during the day, the night will prove particularly hot, reaching 28C in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) and 25C in Lyon.

Thunderstorms may bring some brief respite to the heat on Wednesday, August 13, however the high temperatures - particularly at night - are now expected to last until at least Sunday.