NICE, France (Reuters) – It is late October on the French Riviera, but tourists are sunbathing in bikini, the terraces are full and the seawater is warm enough for swimming. On the beach in Nice, few were complaining about global warming.
“At the end of October it cools down normally and by All Saints Day it usually rains, but this year is exceptional,” said Rose-Marie Martini, tanning on the beach in a bathing suit.
She said that at home, the heating was still off, and that the water was still great for swimming at 20 to 21 degrees Celsius.
Western Europe’s unusually balmy October follows a summer during which blistering temperatures parched farmlands and rivers and wildfires ran amok.
Successive heatwaves baked Europe and placed renewed focus on climate change risks to farming, industry and livelihoods.
“2022 is already the hottest year on record,” said weather forecaster Frederic Nathan at Meteo France, adding that while Indian summers were not unusual, in recent years the degree of warming had been reaching unprecedented levels.
“Each year now sees dozens of heat records and virtually no low temperatures, in a typical sign of climate change,” he said.
Beach resorts across France have extended their season as the unusually hot weather keeps tourists coming.
“The weather is exceptional. We often have good weather in winter here, but this is a summer season that is not ending,” said Rene Colomban, head of the Nice beach operators association.
He said their season was starting earlier and ending later than it did even just a few years ago.
“We remain open as long as the weather allows it … it is great for our business.”
(Reporting by Eric Gaillard in Nice and Antony Paone in Paris; Writing by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Richard Lough and Tomasz Janowski)
