PARIS (Reuters) – Grape-pickers in wine-producing regions of southern France have been advised to start work on the harvest in the early hours of the morning to avoid sweltering in a late summer heatwave.
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 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.
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.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
