The records were tumbling in France on Friday as the country recorded its hottest ever temperature with the mercury pushing past the 45C mark (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Parts of the south remain on red alert for the scorching heatwave.
The record for the hottest temperature ever in France was broken twice on Friday within a matter of hours.
First the town of Carpentras (see map) in the Vaucluse department of the south east France recorded a temperature of 44.3C – an all-time record for France. Or at least it was for around an hour or so.
t had beaten the previous hottest temperature which was 44.1C, recorded in Saint-Christol-lès-Alès et Conqueyrac, also in the south east near Avignon.
But then it was the turn of Villevieille (see map below) in the Gard department to hit the headlines when it became the first town ever in France to record a temperature above 45C. The mercury hit 45.1C at 14.59 according to Météo France and may yet rise even further.
The Gard and Vaucluse departments are two of four areas placed on red alert with the public warned to take the upmost care.
