Paris set to sizzle in Olympic heatwave
Things are heating up at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and not just on the field of Olympic competition.
As we write this story on Tuesday morning in Australia, it's currently just after midnight in the French capital with light winds and a very balmy temperature of 23°C. That tells you that a scorcher lies ahead.
Indeed, Meteo France (their BoM equivalent) says France is now experiencing the first heatwave of the year as a hot airmass moves north from Spain. The southern half of the country will be worst affected, with temps over 40°C expected in numerous locations, but on Tuesday into Wednesday, Paris and the north will also cop severe heat.
The official Meteo France forecast for Paris predicts a top of 35°C on Tuesday across most of the Paris metro area, with 36°C expected in northern parts of the city.
The weather gets even more oppressive later in the day. Sunset in Paris on Tuesday is not until 9:31 pm, and the temperature is expected to remain around 35°C into the early evening, when there is also the chance of thunderstorms and even hail, or "grêle" as it's called in French.
Ce lundi, chaleur très intense sur le sud du pays et progresse mardi vers le nord.
— Météo-France (@meteofrance) July 29, 2024
Les 36 °C seront atteints ou dépassés sur une grande partie du pays. Autour de la Méditerranée, les 40 °C peuvent être approchés voire atteints localement dans les terres.https://t.co/2yBV4MJijj pic.twitter.com/XyQo05S8gV
Meteo France forecasts also include a "ressentie", which is the equivalent of our "feels like" temp (technically known as the apparent temperature). With the combination of heat and humidity, the ressentie in the early evening is reach the low 40s, making for extremely uncomfortable conditions.
One Australian team which will be forced to compete in the hottest part of the day is the women's sevens rugby team, which plays its semi-final against Canada at 4 pm Paris time (midnight tonight AEST). The medal matches then take place three to four hours later.
The Aussie women of course won the inaugural rugby sevens gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics before missing the medals in Tokyo. You'd imagine that the Aussies are more accustomed to the conditions than their rivals, although with the heatwaves in Canada in recent years, perhaps the climatic playing field is level.
The heat will also affect the port city of Marseille, with an extremely hot day of 39°C forecast for Wednesday when the Matildas take on the USA. Fortunately, the match kicks off at 7 pm local time (Thursday 3 am AEST), so while it will still be hot, direct sunlight won't be a factor.
????L'air chaud s'est bien installé sur la moitié sud du pays avec des températures souvent bien au-dessus de 35°C.
— Météo-France (@meteofrance) July 29, 2024
Valeurs provisoires 17h
40.6 °C à Moulès-et-Baucels
40.1 °C à Les Vans
39,1 °C à Pissos
38.9 °C à Figari
38,7 °C à Bordeaux Mérignac
38,6 °C à Uzes
38.5 °C à Saintes pic.twitter.com/HBEDy55YD8
As for the rest of the first week of the Olympics, Paris temperatures will stay relatively hot on Wednesday and Thursday with the chance of further storms, and maximums around 32°C.
The period from Friday through till Monday is then expected to see a return to conditions which should be perfect for Olympic competition, with tops in the mid-twenties and only a slim chance of showers.
That's good news for the final of the 100m for women (Sunday) and men (Monday) in athletics – which are always the most-watched events of any Olympic Games.