France is tackling its worst heat waves ever.
As its worst drought on record left parched communities without clean drinking water, and farmers warned of an impending milk scarcity in the winter, France prepared for a fourth heatwave this summer on Sunday.
The office of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has established a crisis team to address the drought, which has caused crops to be stressed and forced several settlements to depend on truck supplies for water.
Before the searing hot air creeps north early in the week, temperatures were predicted to reach 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday in the southwest.
Like the U.S. television channel The Weather Channel, La Chaine Meteo said, “this new heatwave is expected to kick in.”
The worst drought since records started in 1958, according to the national meteorological organization Meteo France, was anticipated to last until at least the middle of the month. In France, July had an average rainfall of less than 1cm.
According to the agricultural ministry, this year’s maize crop is predicted to be 18.5 percent lower than in 2021, just as Europeans struggle with rising food costs due to lower-than-average grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine.
The National Federation of Farmers’ Unions warned that a lack of fodder brought on by the drought might result in a shortfall of milk in the coming months.
Due to elevated river temperatures on the Garonne, nuclear operator EDF this week limited the power production at a facility in southwest France. Additionally, it has issued rolling alerts for reactors along the Rhone river.
With corrosion issues and prolonged maintenance at half of its 56 reactors limiting capacity as Europe confronts an energy shortage, the hot weather has worsened the utility’s difficulties.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.