French towns ditch Bastille Day fireworks as another heatwave hits

An “intense and prolonged” heatwave has settled over France – the second so far this summer – with temperatures of more than 38°C baking much of the country.

Children cool off as they walk on the "Miroir d'Eau" water feature in Bordeaux, south-western France, in May, 2022. AFP - PHILIPPE LOPEZ

Tipped to last up to 10 days, the extreme weather follows warnings of “hotter and hotter" summers that forecaster Météo France says are becoming the norm as a result of global warming.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has instructed authorities in all French regions to “mobilise” as the first orange heatwave alerts were set to be issued on Wednesday.

"Heat has a very rapid impact on the health of populations, especially the most fragile people,” Borne warned.

Elderly people, those with disabilities, the homeless, pregnant women and infants are being warned of heat exposure risks, as are those who work in high-temperature environments such as kitchens and factories.

🌡️ #VaguedeChaleur

A quoi s'attendre ces 3 prochains jours ?

Suivez l'évolution de la situation :
➡️https://t.co/nKFFz1VUlR pic.twitter.com/1kc824JPcI

— Météo-France (@meteofrance) July 12, 2022

Fireworks cancelled

In the southern Gard department that was ravaged by wildfires last week, some 20 towns have cancelled Bastille Day fireworks shows slated for the national holiday on Thursday.

"The fields have just been harvested, the bales of hay are very close and could go up in flames at the slightest flare,” said local councillor Martine Aubert.

Depending on the severity of the heatwave in the coming days, there is also talk of a wider total fire ban across many parts of the south of France.

France is in the midst of a painful drought with more than a dozen departments imposing water restrictions.

State subsidies have already been allocated to farmers, with Borne assuring that her government would pursue a major reform of crop insurance to be implemented from 1 January, 2023.

Rising mercury

Figures by Météo France show that between the years 1976 and 2000, there were only one to three days anually when the thermometer climbed above 35 degrees in the south of France.

Now there are at least three to 10 days each year. The agency predicts that, by the end of the century, the region can expect as many as 40 days of intense heat per year.

The periods of hot weather will also become longer and, as with this year, heatwaves will occur during the spring – and even as late as October.

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France, Spain and Portugal this year suffered heatwaves in June, with Spain recording its hottest May weather since the beginning of the century.

The current heatwave is unlikely to be the last this summer," climate specialist François Gemenne, a teacher at Sciences Po, told BFMTV.

"It is certain that one of the effects of climate change will be to increase the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.

"They will therefore become more numerous and hotter.”