Since Monday July 17, 2023, the south of France has been facing very high temperatures. This heatwave episode is indeed due to a heat dome settling in the Mediterranean. It is “an anticyclonic blockage, a closed zone of high pressures which traps hot air at all levels of the atmosphere”, as explained by Météo France. This phenomenon should continue this Friday, July 21 and could even spread throughout the weekend.
The heat wave, persistent throughout this week, will even be accompanied by thunderstorms. Indeed, according to forecasts by La Chaîne Météo, some departments could be affected by a further rise in temperatures and therefore storms. “A slight stormy trend will be present in the early morning in the southeast, with some showers in the Grand Est,” say meteorologists.
After a rather stable week, whether in terms of temperatures, this day on Friday will be an exception to the trend. “The minimum temperatures will still be high on the Côte d’Azur and in Corsica with 22 to 26 ° C, and the maximum will drop well in the South-East, with generally 30 to 32 ° C. They will however remain higher locally between the Gard and the Var as well as in the interior of Corsica, with values still reaching 32 to 35 ° C, locally 36 or 37 ° C in the interior of the Var, “predicts Météo France.
Like the temperatures, the weather will be very variable from morning to evening on this weekend eve. “The sky will be generally bright but some showers will occur near the Belgian border as well as on the eastern facade and on the Pyrenees. The showers will sometimes take on a stormy character on the relief of the Alps and the Pyrenees”, warns the meteorological site.
Discover in our slideshow below, which are the 37 departments concerned by these different levels of vigilance, whether stormy or scorching.