France is a country with a temperate climate. Heat in summer, cold in winter… The seasons are clearly marked but some areas are not all in the same boat. If Marseille enjoys good sunshine all year round, Biarritz is one of the cities where it rains the most. Mouthe, a small village in Doubs, climbs to the first square of the coldest village in France.
In France, a city is distinguished by the amount of snow that falls there in winter. Contrary to what one might think, the town is not located in the mountains!
Wrapped up in a thick white coat every year, Saint-Étienne is ” on average the snowiest city in France »Let the Weather Channel. It goes beyond Grenoble, yet associated with snow by the mountain ranges that surround it.
Located along the Furan Valley, Saint-Étienne is bordered by 6 main hills, Mont d’Or and Montaud to the west, Mont Dormand (Vivaraize), Villeboeuf le Haut, Montferré and Crêt-de-Roc to the ‘east, from 566 to 671 m above sea level.
Its strong snow cover is due to its ” altitude and its exposure to cold and humid north-westerly winds »Informs the expert site in meteorology. It is not a few flakes that fall on the city but thick layers of snow that accumulate! ” The average snowfall is 82 cm per winter. “The expert site in meteorology specifies:” In 2005, Saint-Étienne had received more than 120 cm of cumulative snow. »
Two other French cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants are also very snow-covered and follow Saint-Étienne: Grenoble with its 42 cm of snow on average and Strasbourg with 35 cm.
Weather Express adds: ” It is not surprisingly in the most eastern regions that snowfall is most frequent. On the podium of the regions most concerned: Lorraine, Franche-Comté, Alsace and the Ardennes. These sectors record an average of 25 to 30 days of snow per year, occasionally 35 in exposed sectors (plateaus, etc.). »
Snow in the face of global warming
« Global warming does not prevent snow from falling in the mountains »Explains meteorologist Frédéric Decker to the Dauphiné Liberated. The expert adds: ” The warming atmosphere generates a more humid air, which turns into rain on the reliefs. If the temperature is close to 0 ° C at this time, it is snowing. But the rain / snow border is thin, it is played out within a few degrees. Over time, the “snow years” will become increasingly rare, but there always will be. »
Forgotten the meters of snow piling up! The expert specifies that “ overall, the number of snow days remains rather stable, but on average, the amount of accumulated snow tends to decrease from year to year in mid-mountain and in the plains. »
Also to discover: This large city is the sunniest in France… Even in autumn and winter
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