Blooming buds and coats put away in the closet. For many, these last days have a spring air. And for good reason, France records exceptionally mild temperatures for the start of the year. This Saturday, for example, it was 17 ° C in Toulouse. And the situation should last a little longer.
If it is still too early to compare with February 2019, which had won all the heat records, December and January are already considered by Météo France as the second mildest in France since 1900. And the next few days should confirm the trend. "We are in a configuration where fresh air masses arrive, in a flow from west to southwest", explains Frédéric Nathan, forecaster at Météo France.
As a result, temperatures average 5 to 7 ° C above seasonal norms. In Strasbourg, at the lowest, we recorded eleven degrees in the night from Friday to Saturday. "It will be necessary to wait 19 hours this evening to know if this statement is a record", specifies the specialist.
Strong avalanche risks
Until Monday, temperatures will continue to rise. In the southwest we expect 23 ° C. "And we should have an increase in temperatures on Monday with 20 ° C in Lyon or 15 to 16 ° C in Paris", continues the forecaster. If the fall is then vertiginous, it should not last.
"We will then find seasonal values from Tuesday, in Paris we will have 9 ° C, in Biarritz, around 13 ° C. This cooling will last a few days, and the temperatures will start to rise again ”, reassures Frédéric Nathan. The assurance for him of a “generally mild winter, with either seasonal norms or readings above”.
Should we worry about it? “What is normal is that we experience variations in temperature. At times, having masses of hot air, that's normal. What is less normal is that the air masses are warmer than before, ”notes Frédéric Nathan. This warmth does not only have positive consequences. This Saturday, Savoie and Haute-Savoie were placed on orange alert due to the risk of avalanches.