[DG57]

MorganeLanesle, on 02 February 2012 - 20:34, said:

(it won't thaw).

Uh, just to correct one thing (but hopefully everyone had understood) : I meant that we are experiencing ice days in most of France.

Sorry for misusing some English words, sometimes.

[DG57]

–20°C recorded in Alsace and in Champagne. I didn't go out today... too cold for me.

[DG57]

The airport of Toulouse-Blagnac (south) is paralyzed by the heavy snow that has fallen since yesterday. It is the 6th airport of France for the passenger traffic.

[DG57]

-16°C at Orléans (Centre) this morning, a new February record for the city, which is located in the Loire valley at low altitude.

Otherwise, very sunny and bright weather all over North France (including the region of Strasbourg, where I am), which makes the cold a little more acceptable.

[Dave K]

Some minima in Franche-Comté for the last few days

Sunday 5th: Maîche (Doubs) : -24.9°C

Monday 6th: Mouthe (Doubs) : -25°C

Tuesday 7th: Maîche (Doubs) -24°C

This post has been edited by Big Dave's Gusset: 07 February 2012 - 16:31

[Dave W]

Centre of Paris at 18Z (Montsouris) 03013G2KT 9999 ///// M04/M21 Q1035

[DG57]

Bad news for the pink flamingos of the ponds of Languedoc-Roussillon : a high number of deaths has been reported due to the cold, but especially due to the wind, which makes the cold even more intense, too intense for them.
The temperatures went down to -8°C in this region, close to the sea and barely warmed up to +1 or +2°C during the day.

http://www.lindepend...oses,115815.php

[Dave K]

6N Rugby, Stade de France, Paris: France vs Ireland at 21.00 CET

Predicted -8 °C and a wind blowing around 30 km/h coming from the NE expected at KO time, which should make for -12 celsius experience for those in the stands...

[Dave K]

Big Dave, on 11 February 2012 - 12:32, said:

6N Rugby, Stade de France, Paris: France vs Ireland at 21.00 CET

Predicted -8 °C and a wind blowing around 30 km/h coming from the NE expected at KO time, which should make for -12 celsius experience for those in the stands...

Well no surprise, a few minutes before kick-off the game is called off due to the frozen pitch! Hot air blowers under the covers weren't enough because as soon as they are turned off for the game the frost gets to the turf again.

[DG57]

The cold wave is now well behind us and with this sunny day, temperatures have soared. The first 20°C+ of February were reached yesterday in the extreme South-East. The last 20°C+ before this one, were one month ago on 23rd January.

[DG57]

Nice temperatures yesterday in the Languedoc, with 22.5°C at its capital city, Montpellier and 24.6°C at Conqueyrac.

Forecasters say that we could break a few records today or in the coming days, in the South.

[DG57]

The February record for Sablières (Ardèche) was broken today, with 24.9°C.

It's fairly probable that the first 25°C+ of year 2012 might have been reached in the Cévennes mountains and/or in the Canyons region (Ardèche, Tarn, etc.).

[DG57]

Not a weather report, but I'm saying it here all the same :

A moderate earthquake occurred in the southern French Alps yesterday evening, at around 11:30pm (magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale). The epicenter was located near Barcelonnette.

No real damage and no casualty were reported.

http://www.lemonde.f...48665_3244.html

[DG57]

Météo France's article on the warm weather of the last week-end in the South of France:

ERRATUM: Sablières (Ardèche) didn't beat its record, it only equalled it.

http://france.meteof...cument_id=26431

Un avant-goût de printemps sur le sud de la France
27/02/2012


A la faveur de conditions généralement bien ensoleillées, une grande moitié sud du pays a connu un dernier week-end de février très doux. Sur les régions méditerranéennes, le mercure a même franchi dimanche 26 février la barre des 20 degrés pour la cinquième journée consécutive.
Samedi 25 février, certaines stations ont même enregistré des valeurs records pour un mois de février.
Ces températures, très douces proches de la mer, ont même quasiment compensé le déficit thermique pour un mois de février causé par la première quinzaine glaciale, comme à Nîmes par exemple.

Températures relevées le vendredi 24 février après-midi :
22,5°C à Manosque
21°C à Aix-en-Provence et Perpignan
20°C à Pezenas, Istres ou Carpentras
19°C en Avignon

Températures relevées le samedi 25 février après-midi :
25°C à Sablières (en Ardèche, record pour un mois de février égalé)
23°C à Sisteron (record battu pour un mois de février)
22°C à Generargues (Gard) et Eus (Pyrénées Orientales)
20°C à Marcillac
19°C à Mende et Nîmes

Températures relevées le samedi 25 février après-midi :
22°C à Manosque
21°C au Luc et à Apt
20°C à Montpellier, Sète et Aubagne
18°C à Mont-de-Marsan


Wednesday forecast for Manosque: 28°C (!?) I doubt it's correct.

[DG57]

Warm in the South, yes of course, but also in the North now! 15°C at Strasbourg's station, and the thermometer of my (new! ) car even showed 16.5°C!

[DG57]

http://france.meteof...cument_id=26476

Above is the link to the "bilan de l'hiver 2011/2012 en France" (final review of winter 2011/2012 in France).

Very well documented and exhaustive I think.

[DG57]

Heavy snowfalls occurred today in the extreme North of France (Lille and its region); after these few mild days, we all thought winter was over, que nenni!

http://videos.tf1.fr...le-7035823.html

http://videos.tf1.fr...es-7039026.html

[DG57]

http://france.meteof...cument_id=26487 <= link to the original article (sorry if the translation is not good enough, I've tried to correct some of the grammar mistakes but I may have forgotten a few)

Drought in Spain, Portugal and the South of France, this winter:

The clouds are completely absent over Spain, Portugal and southern France (satellite image from 9th March 2012 at 14pm UTC - © Météo-France) =>


The winter was very dry in Spain, Portugal and southern France, due to anticyclonic conditions persisting beyond several weeks. Spain, badly affected by the lack of water, had its driest winter since the 1940's. The consequences are visible: early forest and brushwood fires in Galicia and Catalonia, or sometimes dramatic decrease in the level of water reservoirs. In December, the reserves "were a quarter of the necessary level" for a normal season, according to the organization of irrigation water management in the region of Sarinena.

Cumulative rainfall in mm for the winter period (December 2011 - January and February 2012):

Spain:
Huesca: 4 mm (with 0 mm in 2012)
Barcelona: 13 mm
Madrid: 15 mm
Leon: 14 mm
Seville: 16 mm
Zaragoza: 17 mm
Grenada: 25 mm
Alicante: 26 mm
Valladolid: 26 mm

France:
Sète: 5 mm
Perpignan: 6 mm
Montpellier: 8 mm
Nimes: 14 mm

Portugal:
Faro: 21 mm
Lisbon: 24 mm

[Dave K]

Here are charts of the average pressure for January and February 2011, so yes very persistent anticyclonic conditions for France and Spain, even to a lesser extent here in southern England but my "dry winter" with 145mm rainfall is put in perspective by those for Iberia and France

[Ian Williams]

Here is the rainfall anomaly - though this is Nov to January, NOAA have not updated it to include February yet