The thermometer fell significantly below zero this Monday morning in France. Since the conflict of air masses which caused snow in the North and rain further south last week, France has plunged into the heart of winter both from a calendar and meteorological point of view.
It froze in most areas overnight and at daybreak. Météo France thus places 34 departments on extreme cold yellow alert, the second level on a scale of 4.
From November 1 to March 31, a seasonal watch is activated by the authorities as part of the Severe Cold Plan. Health and social management of low temperatures is more or less reinforced depending, among other things, on the level of vigilance established by the national meteorological body.
This Monday morning, the frosts are almost widespread and often marked. Temperatures continued to drop until daybreak. This map drawn up by Météociel around 8 a.m. shows that the temperature is generally between 0 and 5°C in the plains. Corsica and the Alpes-Maritimes by the sea are exceptions. The tip of Brittany and the English Channel, due to the softness of the water nearby, and Île-de-France, due to the urban heat island effect which limits the drop in the thermometer, are the places least cold.
Overall, temperatures are between 4°C and 7°C below the minimum values expected when waking up at this time of year. In the plains, the lowest temperatures are observed in Luxeuil, in Haute-Saône, with -9.°C, in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) with -7.3°C and in Ambérieu (Ain) with -7.2 °C. In the Lot, -6.6°C was observed in Gourdon; it was -6°C in Vichy (Allier) or -5.8°C in Guéret (Creuse).
As we gain altitude, it is in the Alps that the lowest temperatures have been measured. It was -19.2°C in Villar-d'Arêne, in the Hautes-Alpes, -18.7°C in Bessans (Savoie), -16.6°C at the Aiguille du Midi (Haute-Alpes). Savoy).
This Monday afternoon, maximum temperatures in the plains will range from 0 to 5°C in the North and from 5°C to 10°C-12°C in the South, around fifteen in the Alpes-Maritimes. They will overall be between 3°C and 5°C lower than average, except in the hottest regions of the South where they will be within the norm.
