France faces worst drought on record as fourth heatwave of the year spreads

France is in the midst of its fourth heatwave of the year as the country faces what the government has warned is its worst drought on record.

The heatwave, which started in the south, is expected to spread across the country and continue into the weekend, the national weather agency Meteo-France said.

Southern France expects daytime temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures of no less than 20 degrees Celsius.

The heat didn’t help firefighters battling wildfires in the Chartreuse Mountains near the Alps in eastern France, where authorities have evacuated about 140 people.

This week’s heatwave won’t be as intense as last month, when several regions experienced record temperatures, Met France said.

But the heat came during the worst drought on record, according to the government. Last month was the driest July since measurements began in 1959.

Some farmers are already starting to see production declines, especially for soybeans, sunflowers and corn.

Water restrictions range from banning irrigation during the day to limiting the amount of water people and livestock can use to keep aquatic species alive.

The government said last week that more than 100 cities were unable to provide drinking water from taps and needed water trucks.

The high temperatures also forced energy giant EDF to temporarily cut off electricity at some of its nuclear plants that use river water to cool reactors.

Meanwhile, Spain’s National Weather Service said the country has not had a hot month like July in six years.

For the first time since records began in 1961, the average July temperature was 25.6 to 2.7 degrees Celsius warmer than any previous July record.

On July 24, the southern Andalusian town of Moron de la Frontera posted its highest temperature for the month, reaching 46 degrees Celsius. The northwestern region of Galicia posted a record 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in the city of Ourense.

Extreme heat and lack of rain have caused many wildfires in many areas and exacerbated the drought.

The European Forest Fire Information System said 2022 was the worst year yet in terms of scorched territories and the number of fires in Spain. The agency said 240,000 hectares of land had been leveled by more than 370 fires.

The Portuguese Meteorological Service also said that July was the hottest since national records began in 1931. The average temperature was 25.1 degrees Celsius, nearly 3 degrees Celsius above the expected monthly average.