Weather: a “forest weather forecast” will soon be available on Météo-France

The summer of 2022 was marked by numerous forest fires in the south of France. More recently, last March, the Alpes-Maritimes were affected by fires. Indeed, on the weekend of March 12, 2023, eight fire outbreaks were declared. According to the Obs, 55 hectares were burned. In addition, this department was placed on “drought alert”. This is the case for several departments in the south of France.

This period of drought then lasted until the winter of 2023. Indeed, Météo-France recorded 32 consecutive days without rain. Moreover, Info Sécheresse, a site warning about the state of groundwater in France, noted an insufficient water level in many departments. Following this observation, Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition, announced water restrictions mainly in the south of France. On Tuesday 25 April, the latter announced the creation of a new weather section in collaboration with Météo-France.

The minister mentioned the future section of “Forest Weather” during a meeting with the weather channel.

This weather will arrive on June 1st. The objective is to alert the French to the situation of forest fires in their department. Thus, four levels of danger will be presented, ranging from green (low) to red. The results are produced in collaboration with the National Forestry Office (ONF). This section will be published every day during the summer.

“It will help everyone to be attentive and to better understand any local decisions to prohibit, for example, walks in the forest when the risks are too high”, adds Christophe Béchu, as reported by the Huffingtonpost. In addition, the Minister specifies that “90% of fires are of human origin and approximately more than half come from stupid gestures: cigarette butts, barbecues, grinders…”. The vigilance of the French is therefore more than necessary.