France’s meteorological agency has issued a weather warning for Paris and the surrounding areas with storms and highs of 35 degrees Celsius expected on Tuesday as it hosts the Olympic Games.
The agency put in place a “yellow alert” — the second of four levels — for the capital as a heatwave brings searing temperatures to other Olympic venues across France.
An even higher orange alert in place for Bordeaux and Lyon — where temperatures inched close to 40C (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday — will remain in effect on Tuesday when these cities stage Olympic football matches.
The yellow alert for Paris was issued in particular because “very hot” conditions were forecast to linger overnight, with the mercury not expected to drop below 22C between Tuesday and Wednesday.
That moderate alert level means people should “be attentive” to the impact of heat when playing sports or engaging in other physical activity, the agency said.
The scorching heat will be keenly felt by Olympians competing in outdoor events during the afternoon in Paris and its surrounding suburbs.
Beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, the BMX freestyle qualifiers at Place de la Concorde, and the women’s rugby sevens semi-finals at the Stade de France are all partly or fully outdoors.
Conditions could be even more sweltering when Spain play Egypt in the football on Tuesday afternoon in Bordeaux.
The weather agency said temperatures could reach 38C in the southwestern city on Tuesday before dropping off.
Similar highs are forecast for Lyon, where Ukraine’s footballers come up against Argentina on Tuesday.
In the central city of Chateauroux, which is hosting Olympic shooting events, temperatures could hit 36C on Tuesday, forecasters said.
In the run-up to the Games, some athletes had urged event timings to be adjusted to take into account the physical toll of competing at high temperatures and the risk of heatstroke.
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