[DG57]

1st May 2012



Mimet (Bouches-du-Rhône), -1.5°C (lowest minimum < 500 m. asl)



Mimet is the highest village of the Bouches-du-Rhone department, its town hall being located at 491 m. asl and its highest point rising at 779 m. asl. The territory of the commune is divided into two relatively different parts by the Massif de l'Etoile.

From the south side, we can see the city of Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. This part of the commune of Mimet is wild and uninhabited. The landscape is quite steep and the vegetation is dry. The trees (mostly pines) are quite limited and the vegetation cover consists mainly of shrubs (thyme, rosemary, etc.).

The northern part of the Massif de l'Etoile comes down on the plain dotted with homes and meet on the way the original village, where are set the town hall and the church. The village center is just 8 km from Gardanne, 21 km from Aix-en-Provence and 30 km from Marseille. The vegetation on the north side consists mainly of oak and pine forests.

Despite being located not too far from the sea, the village has relatively harsh winters for the region. This is due to the fact that Mimet is at a quite high altitude and what's more, on the north slope of the Massif de l'Etoile. Snowfalls happen almost annually.

[DG57]

2nd May 2012



Langres (Haute-Marne), 45.2 mm (wettest)

[DG57]

3rd May 2012



Lège-Cap-Ferret (Gironde), 14.1°C (highest minimum)

[DG57]

4th May 2012



Stattmatten (Bas-Rhin), 25.1°C (highest maximum)

...seems stormy on this picture of Stattmatten (Alsace region)... (this sky is almost the same as the one we've had today in the North-East)

[Ian Williams]

Amazing aerial photos above of Lège-Cap-Ferret, beautiful

[DG57]

Ian Williams, on 05 May 2012 - 18:49, said:

Amazing aerial photos above of Lège-Cap-Ferret, beautiful

Hehe, yes, this coastline is absolutely beautiful, from an aerial point of view as well as from a trekker's, a walker's or a bather's point of view.

5th May 2012



Porz Kernog, on the island of Batz (Brittany)



The island of Batz, with a mild climate allowing exotic plants to grow - it's kind of the French 'isles of Scilly'



A wild and empty beach on Batz

[DG57]

6th May 2012



Aiguille du Midi (Haute-Savoie), -13.6°C (lowest minimum at any height)

The Aiguille du Midi is a mountain in the Mont-Blanc massif. it rises at 3,842 m. asl (12,600 ft).

Northern side in winter



The 'Needle of the South' in summer, at dusk



The 'White Mount' (4,810 m. – 15,780 ft), highest peak in Western Europe

[DG57]

7th April 2012



Sauternes and its vineyards

Sauternes (Gironde), 16.7°C (highest minimum)

Located among the vineyards of Sauternes, the town is at 44 km south-east of Bordeaux (South-West of France).

A quiet street in the village



The pretty little town hall



A road in the Sauternes vineyards



Have you ever tasted the sauternes, this sweet wine (link - vin liquoreux) of the great Bordeaux vineyards? No? Me neither. But it sounds very good!

Sauternes (the town) - link to French Wikipédia

Sauternes (the wine) - link to French Wikipédia

[DG57]

Oh, I didn't do it on purpose, I promise. (Morgane never abuses wine, especially in the morning)
One must read May 2012 instead of April 2012. (Morgane likes to do things very precisely and with no kind of error)

Well, never mind...

[Dave K]

MorganeLanesle, on 08 May 2012 - 17:16, said:

Oh, I didn't do it on purpose, I promise. (Morgane never abuses wine, especially in the morning)
One must read May 2012 instead of April 2012. (Morgane likes to do things very precisely and with no kind of error)

Well, never mind...

So you were at the sauterne then . Never tried it but it sounds too sweet for me, prefer a spicy red

[DG57]

Hehe BDG!

[DG57]

8th May 2012



L'Ile-d'Yeu (Vendée), 19.0 mm (wettest)

The lighthouse of Port-Joinville, on the island of Yeu



A breaking wave on the wild coast



The harbour of Port-Joinville

[DG57]

9th May 2012



France got its warmest night yesterday, in average, –and with its lowest minimum under 500 m. asl–, which was the least cold so far in 2012.
Indeed, 6.7°C was the coolest value that night, and it was for High Provence, at Dauphin.

Here a bonus map (+ list) that shows the minimum temperatures across France for yesterday:



The southwestern coast and a good part of the West were particularly warm, with temperatures that didn't get below 16°C, and even not below 20°C very locally (I've put a red coloured zone to mark this warmth).

Provence was quite cool early in the morning, with around 10°C, although it's quite normal values for the season (or barely below).

Elsewhere, temperatures were between 13 and 14°C.

[DG57]

10th May 2012



Brest (Finistère), 26.0 mm (wettest)



Climate data for Brest:

[DG57]

11th May 2012



Globally in France, a hot day (max: Issoire, 33.9°C), a warm night (max: Menton, 21.8°C) and even at altitude, with an almost mild night at l'Aiguille du Midi (min: -2.4°C).

Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme), 33.9°C (highest maximum)

A storm seems to be on its way to the town on this photo



An empty street with a view on the Tour de l'Horloge (Clock Tower)

[DG57]

12th May 2012



Le Castellet (Var), 35.5°C (highest maximum) *and* 20.5°C (highest minimum)

Bandol, on the coast near Le Castellet





Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, on the coast near Le Castellet

[DG57]

13th May 2012



L'Oudon (Calvados), -0.2°C (lowest minimum < 500 m. asl)

Here is an aspect of the Normandy countryside, a land of farms, dairies, cheeses and rolling hills

[DG57]

Hi everybody! Sorry for being late with the thread, but I was busy lately, back home only since this afternoon. I will update the thread tonight.

[Ian Williams]

MorganeLanesle, on 18 May 2012 - 13:56, said:

Hi everybody! Sorry for being late with the thread, but I was busy lately, back home only since this afternoon. I will update the thread tonight.

Wondered what happened to you, thought you got lost lol

[DG57]

Ian Williams, on 18 May 2012 - 15:52, said:

Wondered what happened to you, thought you got lost lol

No, I didn't get lost... I was dead... Everything comes to an end... Noooo!! Not now! Not yet! lol I will continue to be rampant on these forums as long as possible.

*Morgane in crazy mode*