French grape-pickers advised to start work early to beat the heat

Issued on: 22/08/2023 – 16:09

2 min

Meanwhile authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers to delay scaling Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, because high temperatures have created dangerous conditions.

The soaraway temperatures are affecting large parts of France and were expected to peak at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the wine-growing Rhone valley over the next 48 hours.

Four southern regions – the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire – were on Monday placed under “red alert”, the most serious warning. This allows local authorities to call off sports and culture events and close public facilities if needed.

“The heatwave is expected to peak between Tuesday and Thursday, depending on the regions. The length and intensity of this event could require stepping up alert levels in some departments,” Meteo France said.

Jerome Volle, a wine-producer in Ardeche and vice-president of French farmers’ union FNSEA, told BFM TV that the grape harvest was already under way in his region.

One way to cope with the heat was to “start picking the grapes at 3.30 a.m. in the morning and to stop at 11 a.m,” he said.

Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau also told reporters during a visit in a vegetable farm in Burgundy that the heatwave created problems for crops and so there was a need to adapt.

“To grow enough food, it is necessary to adapt the schedules, which farmers do, which market gardeners do, which breeders do, and at the same time continue to produce in conditions which are necessarily somewhat degraded,” he said.

Mont Blanc warning

The Haute-Savoie region, which includes the French side of Mont Blanc, is among the 49 departments under an orange alert for high temperatures.

Local authorities said in a statement there was a high risk of rockfalls on the regular routes up the mountain, as well as new crevices opening up on its glaciers.

They therefore “appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility and judgement and urge you, when possible, to delay taking the Normal Route up Mont-Blanc.”

Temperatures were expected to rise to between 35 C (95 F) and 39 C (102.2 F) on a large part of southern and eastern France on Tuesday, reaching 40 C (104 F) to 42 C (107.6 F), notably in the Drome and Ardeche, Meteo France said.

On Wednesday, temperatures of between 37 C (98.6 F) and 40 C (104 F) were expected in the south, pushing to 42 C in the southwest near Toulouse and in the Rhone valley.

(Reuters)