Staying Cool During the Heatwave, called Canicule

Last summer, we published an article with tips and advice on dealing with the hot weather in Southern France. As expats in this region know, heatwaves are becoming more frequent due to global warming. 

To gain real-life insight, we interviewed Beth, who resides on a rural estate in Occitanie, about how she and her pets handle the hot weather and adapt to the challenges it brings to farming and animal care.

“Like many here in the southwest of France, we’ve had a topsy-turvy year with the weather. An unseasonably wet winter and spring soaked the ground, bringing mixed reactions in our farming community. The water table was topped up: Très bien! but as it continued, the soil became too saturated to work. 

Early crops couldn’t be planted, and the sunflower sowing had to be delayed until the ground was firm enough to work. You’ll imagine the frustration that caused. We’re late in August now, and the picture couldn’t be more different.

The skies are cornflower blue, and we’re in the midst of a hot spell. Really hot. It isn’t unusual for temperature highs to reach 42º degrees Celsius (107º degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade. Heatwaves like these are called “canicules” and are usually preceded by gradually increasing temperatures over a couple of weeks.

Villages and farmhouses start to look a bit like ghost towns as shutters are closed for much of the day to keep interiors cool, as they have done for generations in the hot summer months. Most folks now have air conditioning units, but many use fans. Often rickety old ceiling varieties, and this is the time of year when stores like Leclerc do a roaring trade in mobile units. 

During heatwaves, weather stations issue orange or red alerts with advice to stay indoors and drink plenty of water. But in a farming community like ours, resting inside isn’t always possible, but we try our best to adapt for our workers. For lots of reasons, these periods can be tough going. 

The clay-based soil, which is challenging to work at the best of times, turns rock hard, and the pathways and trails look like brown beaches where the topsoil has turned to dust. Efforts to keep plants going can be scuppered when watering restrictions are applied.

Happily, that hasn’t happened yet this summer, so, like lots of our friends, I’m out giving my potager veggies and garden borders a drink at the crack of dawn before it gets too hot. Our neighbour farmers are similar.

Agricultural irrigation systems linked to the Garonne River are frequently used as farmers spend extra on watering. That’s horribly expensive for them but fantastic for our forest. Excess water runs off parched soil into the streams running through our woodland. It provides much-needed moisture for the plants and water for the resident wildlife.

It amazes me, though I suppose it shouldn’t, that during canicules, our penned birds need about twice their usual quantity of water, and Napoleon, our pot-bellied rescue pig, spends most afternoons wallowing in his self-created muddy pond, which I dutifully refill for him. For our dogs, it’s a different matter.

Our Australian Shepherd dogs are used to long treks, but even they realise it’s not a great idea during the day’s heat. Instead, we’ll either walk early in the morning, or during the afternoon, I’ll take them into the forest to their favourite spot. We have a little waterfall that empties into a pool. The water is fresh, cool and perfect for a swim.

As for how our friends cope with the heatwaves, those with swimming pools will make full use of them after the day’s jobs are done. And then, like the rest of us, they’ll relax playing a game of pétanque in a shady corner of the gardens with drinks and eat al fresco to the tune of lazy frogs and crazy crickets as the sun goes down.

We know the canicule won’t last long. It’ll likely end in a spectacular overnight storm, which clears the air and freshens the late. Then we’ll return to our usual August high-twenties degrees Celsius temperatures. And that’s fine by me.”

For more real-life stories in rural France, check out Beth’s Twitter account, which we recommend to anyone who loves animals, nature and good books. If you’re travelling to Paris, take a look at our list of summer events and places to stay cool like a local in the French capital.

Are you aspiring to start a new life in France?