The Gard is now the only department in Occitania in orange vigilance during the heat wave. This Thursday, it was 39°C in Nîmes and 37°C in Alès. Tomorrow, the mercury will rise another one or two degrees with peaks at 42°C or even 43°C locally, before settling around 38°C until next Tuesday.
The temperatures observed this afternoon in the Gard are between 36°C and 39°C from the Cévennes foothills to Provence, very locally up to 40°C. By the sea, they are between 33°C and 35°C in the air and between 24°C and 27°C in the water.
The heat wave is still there, especially since the minimums remain above 24°C overnight.
2022 has shattered some heat records. On July 15, it was 40°C at 4:05 p.m. at the Nîmes-Courbessac station, the record for the month of July dated back to 2006, with 38.8°C.
13 departments in the south-east of France are on heat wave alert. Caution for sensitive people and on the beach. Beware of very strong UV indexes between 8 and 9 because with the sea breeze you lose the notion of burns and sunburn.
The risk of fire is still very high and the Gard department is subject to restrictions on the use of water. Particularly in the Cèze downstream, Rhône and Vidourle sectors.
Because of these very high temperatures, the air quality is often poor, especially in towns and near roads and highways, such as in the Rhône Valley. It is ozone and fine particles that are in question.
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