More tropical nights as southeast tipped for France's biggest temperature rise

Southeast France will face more than 10 days a year of temperatures above 35C in the coming years along with more frequent tropical nights, France's national statistics institute has said.

Already one of the regions in mainland France with the hottest summers, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA) will also see the biggest rise in average summer temperatures as a result of climate change.

That's according the a study published this week by Insee, the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, which based its findings on projections by the Météo France weather service.

Temperatures in the region are tipped to rise by 1.8°C between 2021 and 2050 compared with the years 1976 and 2005.

In mainland France, the average rise will be 1.3°C.

The area near the Alps will be particularly impacted, rising by 1.9°C. This is slightly more than the coastal areas of the Mediterranean.

Tropical nights

In addition, the region's population will be heavily exposed to tropical nights, when the temperature does not fall below 20°C.

From 1976-2005, some 35 percent of the region's population, mainly in coastal areas, was exposed to at least 30 tropical nights over the summer.

The study found this would rise to affect 79 percent of the population.

"The repetition of tropical nights increases the risk to health and further weakens the health of vulnerable people," said the study's lead author, Raphaël Marais.

The number of days with very high temperatures of over 35°C is also likely to increase.

In the Vaucluse departement, 39 percent of people are tipped to experience more than 10 very hot days a year, as will 20 percent of the population of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and 15 percent of the Var.

This is compared with 5 percent of the average population of mainland France.