What was the weather like for the Armistice of November 11, 1918?

On Monday, November 11, 1918, the armistice was signed in the Compiègne forest, in Rethondes, in Oise, which marked the end of the First World War. A look back at the weather conditions of this historic day.

Calm but foggy weather

With the presence of the Azores anticyclone in the near Atlantic on November 11, 1918, autumn anticyclonic conditions reigned over the whole of France. Atmospheric pressures were high (between 1025 and 1030 hPa) and the sky was overcast in the north of the country. In the morning, mists were frequent in the South-West and thick fogs in the North-East.

Weather bulletin from the Central Meteorological Bureau of France © The Weather Channel

Winter temperatures

Temperatures were low with a few white frosts. At daybreak, we noted: -1°C in Nantes and Le Mans, 1°C in Limoges, 0°C in Paris, 3°C in Clermont-Ferrand, 4°C in Bordeaux, 7°C in Brest, 9°C in Toulouse and 12°C in Marseille. In Rethondes, in the Compiègne forest, when the armistice was signed at 5:15 a.m., the weather was foggy and cool.

The weather forecast for the armistice of November 11, 1918 © The Weather Channel