Unseasonable Warmth Sweeps France as Temperatures Soar 10°C Above Average

Records of mildness were broken over the weekend and on Monday, February 3, particularly in southern France. 19°C in Biarritz on Sunday afternoon, 20°C in Toulouse, 21°C in Perpignan, compared to an average of 8°C, while a peak of mildness was observed on Monday, especially in the South, where temperatures will exceed the seasonal averages by 5°C to 10°C.

As early as Sunday, exceptional temperatures had already been recorded with 26.5°C in Cambo-les-bains (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) or 25.6 in Ille-sur-Têt (Pyrénées orientales), said forecaster Etienne Kapikian on Twitter.

At the origin of the peaks of mildness, two major phenomena. The dominant phenomenon is an anticyclone over Morocco, which moved up to the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the week towards France, pushing these mild air masses with it, explain the meteorologists.

The second phenomenon is observed in southwestern France. It is the foehn effect. According to the explanations of Météo France, "it combines, causing these exceptional temperatures for the season. This is an effect that occurs when air, coming from the south, crosses the Pyrenees. As it descends the French slope, it compresses and warms up."