Early heat wave, the worst month of June since the beginning of the surveys… This summer 2022 offers us its share of meteorological records. According to information from La Chaîne Météo, France will very soon be at the heart of a “huge heat dome”, responsible for a considerable rise in mercury in many cities of the country.

This so-called “heat wave” period because of its intensity and duration, will take place in two major heat peaks: one in the middle of the week, and the other at the beginning of next week. So much so that some departments could come close to, or even beat, the absolute temperature records reached during the heat wave of August 2003… Which does not mean that the two heat waves are comparable, far from it.

As the site specializing in meteorology points out, several differences must be highlighted between the heat wave of August 2003 and that of July 2022. Here they are:

If the heat wave which is about to overwhelm France promises to be trying and intense for a large majority of the country, it nevertheless promises to be “brief in the north and moderate in the south”, according to the forecaster. “The fact remains that the difficulty of such heat must invite you to take all the usual precautions”, however insists La Chaîne Météo.

In our slideshow below, find the departments where absolute temperature records were reached in August 2003. Planet compared these figures with Météo France’s forecasts for the heat wave of this month of July, in order to indicate whether the records of 2003 could be approached, even reached. Please note, however: the information provided is based on the meteorologist’s forecast for Tuesday July 12, 2022 at 6 p.m. and is subject to change. In addition, some absolute records from the 2003 heat wave have already been broken in the past, particularly in June 2019.