in January 1985, a historic cold spell in the Landes, with temperatures reaching -21.7°C

According to Météo France forecasts, the mercury is expected to drop below -5°C this week, or even beyond in certain more exposed areas of the Landes. Already, on Sunday January 12 and Monday January 13, the morning frosts have whitened the countryside and forced a good number of motorists to scratch their windshields early on. And everyone can plug in their radiators to heat the house.

Now imagine – many of those reading these lines no doubt remember – that it had been four times colder, exactly forty years ago.

Thanks to the newspaper's archives service, we found the articles published at the time. Snow, ice, freezing temperatures… Relive how the Landes experienced this “unusual phenomenon”, as recounted in the first article published at the time. And what were the consequences.

1 A cold from the Arctic

In January 1985, for sixteen days, from the 2nd to the 17th, the mercury remained negative in the early morning. Worse, maximum temperatures were below 0°C for at least eight of these days. On Tuesday January 8, 1985, the thermometer showed an average of -18.5°C in the department in the morning, and -5.8°C in the afternoon according to the site Infoclimat.fr, which collects this data. We even recorded up to -21.7°C in Aire-sur-l’Adour (1).

“We haven’t seen this since 1956! » Tuesday January 8, 1985, it was with this title that the newspaper “Sud Ouest” commented on what would become the worst cold spell that the department had gone through until then. The snow fell heavily that day with accumulations exceeding 10 centimeters in places.

A rare phenomenon – in a department usually bathed in an oceanic climate – that meteorologists have analyzed. At the beginning of January, an anticyclone positions itself in the north of Europe, blocking the westerly flows which normally bring mild weather. A north to northeast flow then sets up and directs freezing air masses from the Arctic to France. On Wednesday January 9, 1985, frost replaced snow. The ice and cold are settling in for the long term in the Landes.

2 Traffic, absenteeism… the first consequences

The Landais is not in the habit – this was true in 1985 and it still is today – of driving in extreme conditions. Also, in the first hours of the frost and patches of ice, the slowdowns on the roads were immediate. “We experienced critical situations like on the Castaignos hill, in Saint-Sever, which was impossible to climb for heavy goods vehicles and unequipped cars. Heavy goods vehicles overturned at the entrance to Tarnos on the RN 10 and 117 and there were numerous pileups due to the impossibility of braking effectively. Many cars were left in the ditches,” we read in the columns.

Activity has slowed with people stuck at home or on the road. Yesterday there was a little wind of apocalypse blowing in the Landes

Another direct consequence: “businesses, societies and administration have also been very affected by absenteeism”. School bus services were disrupted during the period. Example with the day of Tuesday January 8, when all the coaches were able to leave… but “only 50% arrived safely”. The delivery of mail “via the PTT”, still very important at the time, was also stopped. And hunting is suspended by prefectural decree from January 10 to 19. On the economic side, we read that “the Labor Inspectorate has reported that 14 companies have closed their doors since Monday (January 7, 1985, Editor's note) due to broken machinery.”

On the evening of Thursday, January 10, the journalist noted that “activity has slowed down overall, with people stuck at home or on the road, and meetings canceled. Yesterday, a little wind of apocalypse was blowing in the Landes. »

3 The reaction: the Landes “on a war footing”

From the start of the polar episode, “Sud Ouest” indicates that the “department is on a war footing”. After the surprise, state services, communities and various structures begin to organize themselves. As of January 8, we can read that the Departmental Equipment Directorate is implementing a “war plan” with the sanding, the day before from 4:30 a.m., of the most used routes.

In her article of January 11, 1985, journalist Christine Gilguy specifies: “More than 200 tons of sand mixed with rice have already been used by Mont-de-Marsan road employees to sand the streets and intersections. The Departmental Roads Directorate also indicates that since the episode, 800 tonnes of gravel have been dumped. “This is the first time we are faced with this type of problem,” assures an infrastructure manager.

The Departmental Roads Directorate indicates that since the episode, 800 tonnes of gravel have been dumped

The most fragile are not forgotten. In the January 12, 1985 edition, we learn that “the General Council has taken measures to help the most deprived elderly people. Some of them find themselves, in fact, isolated at home with serious difficulties in heating or feeding themselves. Henri Emmanuelli therefore decided to authorize admission to nursing homes in order to provide them with room and board for the duration of the bad weather. To guarantee this measure, the president will ask the departmental assembly to release exceptional credit.”

4 Cold snap on the economy and agriculture

As the days go by, the department's leaders observe the damage caused by this “Siberian cold”. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, then chaired by Mr. Larrieu, drew up an initial assessment: “80% of wood companies are no longer working, frozen wood prevents any sawing. Construction sites are also paralyzed. »

Companies are also penalized, like the “Remazeilles furniture factory, in Saint-Loubouer, which stopped its activities because the machines were frozen. Same with the Lamarque factories in Ygos. » President Larrieu warns: “Companies are going to have serious cash flow problems. The Public Treasury as well as Urssaf will certainly be asked to arrange payment deadlines. »

On the agricultural side, the FDSEA is sounding the alarm. “If the department is not declared a disaster now, it is because the word disaster does not have much meaning,” declared Mr. Argouach, one of the union officials. In particular, we can read in the January 15 edition that “kiwi producers and wine growers are anxiously awaiting the thaw. In February 1956, part of the vines in Gironde and Landes had been lost.

We have already lost 600 medium-sized turkeys. Every day I pick up a trailer full of them

The other black point concerns poultry farming. In the article from Thursday January 17, entitled “Panic among farmers”, we read the testimony of a certain Mr. Dayot, turkey breeder in Rivière-Saas-et-Gourby: “We were not able to put them sheltered for such a long period. We have already lost 600 medium-sized turkeys. Every day, I pick up a trailer full of them. » In Roquefort, the Francpintade poultry company was “forced to destroy 30,000 guinea fowl” because breeders are unable to accommodate the poultry.

The icy episode ended on January 19. The wind and rain then took over. After taking out the big sweaters, the Landais brought out the umbrellas.

One dead in a traffic accident

Despite these extreme temperatures and conditions, it appears that the Landes department only had one death during this period. Although there were numerous traffic accidents, they were generally not serious. Except on two occasions both reported in the edition of Saturday January 19, 1985.
In Onesse-Laharie, an 84-year-old man, residing in Talence, was killed and three other people were injured. He was accompanying, as a passenger, a relative who was driving a car heading to Bordeaux. To avoid an obstacle on the road, the driver “suddenly jerked the steering wheel to the right”. “The unbalanced car then slipped on the remains of snowdrifts, killing the octogenarian instantly. »
Another accident – ​​which could have been even more dramatic – was avoided the same morning in Labouheyre: a Spanish bus carrying 49 passengers overturned on the side of the Nationale 10 after skidding on ice. Only one passenger was seriously injured.

(1) According to the “Geographic Review of the Pyrenees and the South-West”. We find other values ​​recorded in this collection: – 19.8 °C in Mont-de-Marsan for example on January 8, 1985.
The black and white photos come from the “Sud Ouest” archives. Those in color come from the Facebook page “Mimizan, au fil du temps” and the kind authorization of Jean-Charles Lahorgue-Poulot.