It was hot in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) during the night from Thursday to Friday. The thermometer did not fall below 20°C, according to readings from the Météo France station. This night can therefore be described as tropical.
The low point was reached Thursday evening. It was 20.9°C at 10:22 p.m. But the thermometer often rose higher in the following hours. For example, it was 23°C at midnight. At 3:50 a.m., the situation was the same with precisely 22.9°C. At daybreak, it was already over 22°C.
25°C next night
The situation is not expected to improve next night. Between this Friday and Saturday it should even get worse. The temperature should not drop below 25°C. But this should change completely between Saturday and Sunday with a low point which could be slightly lower than 15°C.
Beyond the case of Biarritz, the entire coastal area close to the ocean in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department was affected by a tropical night. This is the earliest ever recorded in this region.
🌡️🌡️↗️ Unprecedented and record situation in Biarritz and the Basque country with the earliest tropical night (minimum temperature > 20 degrees) ever observed. The minimum temperature last night was 20.9°C in #Biarritz. The earliest tropical night was May 1, 1973.… pic.twitter.com/ihWWfYxA6E
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) April 5, 2024
Tropical nights are tiring for the body because they prevent us from recovering properly physically. Children, the elderly and the sick are most exposed to the danger they pose over time.
But if the Biarritz area is about to experience a second tropical night between this Friday and Saturday, and even if such temperature levels correspond to scorching nights, it is not technically a heatwave. This is defined by several criteria. Certain temperature levels, which vary depending on the region, must be reached during the day and at night. In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques it must be 34°C during the day and more than 20°C at night. In this case, this is not the case during the day. Finally, these levels must be reached three days in a row, which is also not the case.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, if the situation will be more pleasant near the Atlantic, it is inland where it should be more complex. The sectors of Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, and Saint-Gaudens, in Haute-Garonne, should in turn experience a tropical night.