France heat wave persists as temperatures approach 40C in south

A heat wave continued to grip southern France on Monday, with six departments under an orange heat wave warning and temperatures forecast to reach 39C (102.2F), according to Meteo-France, cited by broadcaster BFMTV.

The departments of Aude, Herault, Gard, Vaucluse, Drome and Ardeche remained under the orange alert as temperatures stayed above 20C across much of the southern half of the country early Monday.

Temperatures reached 26C in Nice, while Montpellier recorded 23C and Nimes and Montelimar 21C, according to the national weather service.

Daytime temperatures were expected to rise to between 35C and 38C across the southeast, with some areas forecast to reach 39C.

Meteo-France said temperatures would ease slightly Tuesday before falling significantly Wednesday as a band of rain and thunderstorms moves across the region.

The orange heat wave warning is scheduled to be lifted across all affected departments on Tuesday morning.

Several locations recorded unprecedented September temperatures Sunday.

Albi in the Tarn department reached 39.2C, Auch in Gers 38.4C, Toulouse-Blagnac 37.9C, Marseille-Marignane 36.8C and Aurillac 34C.

In Durban-Corbieres, in the Aude department, temperatures climbed to 40.8C, setting a new national record for the month of September.

The latest heat wave is part of a series of intense heat events recorded in France this year.

One episode in late June reached record intensity, while another, extending from late July into August, lasted 23 days and matched France's longest heat wave on record, set in 1983.