Côte d’Azur resort town, Nice, is experiencing its warmest night in recorded history this evening (Tuesday, 12 August 2025) as the latest heatwave (or canicule) grips the south of France.
With a minimum temperature of 28.7°C, this is the hottest night in the French Riviera’s capital since records began in 1942, according to the local weather station Côte d’Azur Meteo. It narrowly overtakes the previous record of 28.6°C which was set on 22 August 2023.
The Meteo said this evening’s temperature is the highest recorded in 83 years of measurements.
“Such a high overnight low is worthy of the strongest tropical nights, preventing any real cooling and leaving the atmosphere stifling well into the night before the daytime heat intensifies,” said the weather station. (And anyone on the French Riviera right now can attest to that ‘stifling’ feeling!)
Other notable temperatures today include:
- 29.6°C in Menton,
- 29.4°C in Valbonne–Sophia (which is also a new record, beating the previous 29.1°C on 22 August, 2023),
- 28.2°C in Fréjus–Mont Vinaigre, and
- 26.5°C at Col d’Èze
On Monday, Carros recorded the highest maximum temperature in the Alpes Maritimes with 37.9°C, while Vinon sur Verdon in the Var reached 40°C.
Today, Tuesday, some of the highs in the Var region included 41°C in Cogolin and 35.4°C in Hyères this afternoon, while in the Alpes Maritimes area, it was 36.9°C in Mandelieu, 38.3°C in Lantosque, and 33.6°C in Nice.
The Meteo has warned that this heatwave will continue through the week.
“Several ‘cold drops’ over the #Atlantic will act like heat pumps, feeding this intense heat. The heatwave is therefore expected to persist until the end of the period (around the start of next week) before gradually easing. However, this forecast remains subject to change, given the relatively long time frame,” said the Meteo.
An orange alert for thunderstorms has been issued for some areas, with hail already falling in Valberg. Rain, hail and strong gusts of wind of up to 100km/hour have been predicted in the Var.
Environmentalists have stressed that the heat is threatening corals and the ocean’s already fragile biodiversity. Scientists say the heatwaves are being caused by global warming.
