France Sets New September Heat Record at 40.3°C

Overview

• Météo‑France confirmed on Monday that Lavaur (Tarn) hit 40.3°C, the highest temperature recorded in France for the month of September, and said hundreds of local monthly records were broken over the weekend.
• Six southern and south‑eastern departments — Ardèche, Aude, Drôme, Gard, Hérault and Vaucluse — were kept on orange heat alert through Tuesday morning and public‑health guidance urged people to stay hydrated and limit exertion.
• Daytime highs reached the upper 30s and near 40°C in many towns (Perpignan, Nîmes, Narbonne, Avignon and Marignane among them) while nighttime minima remained unusually high, around 25°C in some southern cities, raising health stress.
• Forecasters say a sharp, temporary cool‑down is expected by midweek, with temperatures dropping about 10–15°C within 24–48 hours, though models allow for a possible rebound of warm weather later.
• Officials place the episode in the context of France’s hottest meteorological summer on record, with an exceptional number of heatwave days and wide geographic reach that has raised wildfire risk, strained local economies and accelerated Alpine glacier melt.