Will France have a white Christmas in 2023?
Obviously the peaks of the Alps (and France's other mountain ranges) are white throughout the winter, but here's what science tells us about the prospect of a white Christmas in the rest of France this year.
Forecasts that look more than a few days ahead are notoriously unreliable, so even experts are taking something of a punt, here, but the short answer is that a white Christmas in France, outside the usual areas, is … unlikely.
This week, the prospect of flooding is the biggest concern as rain sweeps across large parts of France. Forecasters say, however, that a high-pressure system will come in from the west, bringing drier but overcast conditions.
Seasonally high temperatures at the beginning of the week – reaching up to 6C above normal – will not last, with morning frosts and lower afternoon temperatures returning from the weekend.
The high pressure system that will bring overcast and chilly but dry conditions over most of the country is expected to stick around through to Christmas Eve, apparently ruling out the prospect of snow at lower levels – though some forecasting models suggest that it remains a possibility, especially in the east of the country.
From Christmas Day itself, forecasters enter the fortune telling end of weather modelling, as reliability falls off a cliff. Most models suggest a return to milder, wet conditions from the north west, with temperatures one or two degrees above seasonal norms.
As far as experts can predict this far out, expect an unsettled start to 2024.
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Forecasts that look more than a few days ahead are notoriously unreliable, so even experts are taking something of a punt, here, but the short answer is that a white Christmas in France, outside the usual areas, is … unlikely.
This week, the prospect of flooding is the biggest concern as rain sweeps across large parts of France. Forecasters say, however, that a high-pressure system will come in from the west, bringing drier but overcast conditions.
Seasonally high temperatures at the beginning of the week – reaching up to 6C above normal – will not last, with morning frosts and lower afternoon temperatures returning from the weekend.
The high pressure system that will bring overcast and chilly but dry conditions over most of the country is expected to stick around through to Christmas Eve, apparently ruling out the prospect of snow at lower levels – though some forecasting models suggest that it remains a possibility, especially in the east of the country.
From Christmas Day itself, forecasters enter the fortune telling end of weather modelling, as reliability falls off a cliff. Most models suggest a return to milder, wet conditions from the north west, with temperatures one or two degrees above seasonal norms.
As far as experts can predict this far out, expect an unsettled start to 2024.
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