France sees sunniest winter in almost 60 years
March 1, 2008
In the world of tourism, winter in France is definitely not seen as high season. But this year in France, the winter of 2007-2008 has been the sunniest since 1950, says a report published Friday by Météo France, the official French weather service.
The duration of sunny days was seen as very unusual, especially in the northern two thirds of France. And the warmth of France’s winter was astonishing too. With average temperatures almost 2°F (1.1°C) above normal, France’s winter 2007-2008 will rank around tenth in records for the mildest winters in France since 1900, said Météo France in an official statement.
According to data collected in France between December 1, 2007 and February 28, 2008, the winter was “exceptionally sunny, particularly dry and relatively mild”, Météo France summarizes.
Winter in France this year started off cold, with an average temperature somewhat lower than normal in December, before reaching temperatures around 5°F (2.3°C) above the monthly average norms for France in January and 3.2°F (1.8°C) in February, noted Météo France. The amount of sun in France during February and December especially was seen as “remarkable”. In Paris, known to tourists everywhere for its bleak winters, the sun was shining nearly 300 hours versus an average of 187 hours over the same period in 1991-2000.
In February, almost all for France saw a “remarkably dry” period for the time of year. Météo France warned of possible drought conditions, noting that this winter without the usual rainfall followed a very dry autumn season in France. In France, autumn and winter are counted on for replenishing the ground water supply.
Snowfall was also down in France, particularly in the normally snow-capped Pyrenees mountains. The Alps were not as hard hit, good news for ski tourism in France.
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