Will anywhere in France get a white Christmas this year?
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
Published: 20 Dec, 2016 CET.
Updated: Tue 20 Dec 2016 15:49 CET
France's weather agency has revealed where you'll have to go ti if you want to find snow in France this Christmas.
In short, you're going to have to climb mountains or at least some high hills, to experience a winter wonderland in France this Christmas.
Yes, once again it's going to be a largely snow-less festive season across France, according to weather agency Météo France.
"Even though the people typically link snow to Christmas, the actual chances of having snow on the plains for this period are slim," the agency wrote.
It added that France for the most part will actually see a grey and rainy Christmas period.
Bah humbug.
The map below shows the afternoon weather forecast across France for Christmas Eve. Temperatures are going to reach double figures (in Celcius) in some parts of Brittany and Normandy, both of which have been tipped to be hit by strong ocean winds.
Most of the south will have sunshine and rain, with temperatures reaching as high as 13C along the Mediterranean coast.
Those in western and central France will have to make do with cloudy skies and temperatures between 5C and 10C.
Below is the forecast for Christmas Day, which will see even warmer temperatures in much of the north. The warmer climes will come with showers across most of the north and east of France.
Those on the southern coast can enjoy clear skies and temperatures above 10C. In other words, keep the ice skates in the cupboard.
The snow will only be found at altitudes above 2,000 metres in the Alps and the Pyrénées mountain ranges, although even the ski slopes have been reporting grassy slopes in recent days.
But don't fret too much, the lack of snow isn't reflective of some kind of massive climate shift in 2016. In fact, snow isn't actually all that common in France over the Christmas period.
Between 1950 and 2016, snow has only been recorded on the plains of France several times between December 24th and 26th.
In the north east, it has been recorded 15 times in Nancy, 12 in Strasbourg, eight in Dijon and 7 times in Lyon.
Paris can count just three white Christmases, while Rouen and Poitiers have only had four since 1950.
The phenomenon is even more rare in the south, with cities in the Mediterranean only seeing snow at Christmas once or twice in the past 65 years.
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In short, you're going to have to climb mountains or at least some high hills, to experience a winter wonderland in France this Christmas.
Yes, once again it's going to be a largely snow-less festive season across France, according to weather agency Météo France.
"Even though the people typically link snow to Christmas, the actual chances of having snow on the plains for this period are slim," the agency wrote.
It added that France for the most part will actually see a grey and rainy Christmas period.
Bah humbug.
The map below shows the afternoon weather forecast across France for Christmas Eve. Temperatures are going to reach double figures (in Celcius) in some parts of Brittany and Normandy, both of which have been tipped to be hit by strong ocean winds.
Most of the south will have sunshine and rain, with temperatures reaching as high as 13C along the Mediterranean coast.
Those in western and central France will have to make do with cloudy skies and temperatures between 5C and 10C.
Below is the forecast for Christmas Day, which will see even warmer temperatures in much of the north. The warmer climes will come with showers across most of the north and east of France.
Those on the southern coast can enjoy clear skies and temperatures above 10C. In other words, keep the ice skates in the cupboard.
The snow will only be found at altitudes above 2,000 metres in the Alps and the Pyrénées mountain ranges, although even the ski slopes have been reporting grassy slopes in recent days.
But don't fret too much, the lack of snow isn't reflective of some kind of massive climate shift in 2016. In fact, snow isn't actually all that common in France over the Christmas period.
Between 1950 and 2016, snow has only been recorded on the plains of France several times between December 24th and 26th.
In the north east, it has been recorded 15 times in Nancy, 12 in Strasbourg, eight in Dijon and 7 times in Lyon.
Paris can count just three white Christmases, while Rouen and Poitiers have only had four since 1950.
The phenomenon is even more rare in the south, with cities in the Mediterranean only seeing snow at Christmas once or twice in the past 65 years.
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