Meteo France, the French meteorological service, has confirmed that the summer of 2017 was one of the hottest on record.
It has been the third-warmest summer in 75 years with a number of records broken in the valleys behind Nice. In addition to the high temperatures, reaching 40 degrees on at least two occasions in the hinterland, it has never rained so little since the creation of the weather station in Nice in 1942.
In the space of three months, several records have been beaten, even in comparison with the heatwave of 2003, Meteo France said. The lack of rain has contributed to the spread of several fires, including a major blaze close to Saint Tropez that caused the evacuation of tourist campsites in late July.
Southern France is not alone in experiencing the downside of a hot summer. A long drought in Italy has caused severe water shortages and a reduction in water pressure for domestic supplies in Rome and other cities. In France, the grape harvest was brought forward in many areas due to the lack of rain and there have been forecasts of the lowest yield since 1945.