Introduction

The BBC reports that France is suffesring an unprecedented heat wave attributable to climate change. This has resulted in the declaration of an emergency.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61838543

“In Gironde, officials said public events, including some of the official 18 June Resistance celebrations, will be prohibited from Friday at 14:00 (12:00 GMT)”until the end of the heat wave". Indoor events at venues without air-conditioning are also banned.Private celebrations, such as weddings, will still be allowed.

“Everyone now faces a health risk”, local official Fabienne Buccio told France Bleu radio.

To see how unprecedented the situation is I downloaded data from the NOAA GHCND data base and plotted out daily maximums.

Data

Loire maximum temperatures

Gironde maximum temperatures

Loire hottest day of the year

Gironde hottest day of the year

Position of climate station