Evening Update Tuesday 3 October 2023

Greenhouse gas emissions in France fell by 4.3% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period a year previously, according to the body which monitors emissions. CITEPA said that the fall was despite a large increase in emissions from planes as the travel sector recovered from the pandemic. Emissions from domestic flights rose by 25% during the period and by 34% for international flights.

Meteo France have said that temperatures last Sunday reached levels in the south of the country that have sometimes never been measured at this time of the year. The threshold of 35°C was crossed in several places, which it said is "extremely rare" in October. Cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse, Limoges and Poitiers all broke their monthly records. In Aix-en-Provence it was the first time that the threshold of 30°C has been reached in October. Locally, Meteo France said that nighttime heat was "remarkable" in our region with "tropical nights on the Côte d'Azur". An overnight low of 21.7°C was recorded in Menton, which had never experienced such a hot night since records began.

The French overseas region of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean has been placed on a red weather alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms. Storm Philippe is passing through the region. Reports say that several roads have been cut by falling trees and landslides.

A school in Marseille has been closed after an outbreak of bedbugs. The College Josephine Baker in the third arrondissement sent all its students home today and a specialist company will be brought in tomorrow.