Remarkable Winter Weather at Mont Aigoual: Snowdrifts and Cold Recordings from the Meteorological Observatory

The meteorological observatory of Mont Aigoual has often recorded remarkable values ​​in its rich history, especially in winter with snowy episodes, cold and gusts of wind at hair-raising speed.

According to data shared by the former head of the observatory center, Chantal Vimpère, the cumulative snow record dates from the winter of 1995-1996 with 10 m 50 including 4 m 43 in February 1995 and snowdrifts of eight meters height !

Hiver sec en 2011-2012

According to the site’s archives, the record dates from the winter of 1915-1916 with 10 meters of snow. During the 1948-1949 winter season, only 1.05 m of snow cover was recorded on the Aigoual: “But the drought record, we had it in 2011-2012 with zero millimeters of snow, no rain, no water resources”recalls Chantal Vimpère.

And the former head of the center to remember “the striking beauty of the place, particularly in winter when everything is frozen there, when the light tries to make its way delicately through monstrous snowdrifts. This observatory and its massif do not leave anyone indifferent, immersed in the fortress while everything is unleashed outside, the magic takes place, the impregnation is immediate”.

Within the observatory, meteorologists have observed a downward trend in snowfall over thirty years, with a fall in normal values, i.e. two meters on average per year, or half less than what fell in previous decades.

Frosted

This of course has an impact on tourist activity in winter for mid-mountain ski resorts in the Aigoual region. “It really falls at the top. You must not be reckless in winter, a time when you really feel alone in the world”emphasizes Chantal Vimpere.

In winter, there is also more than a meter of frost in a few hours when fog, wind and sub-zero temperatures come together. You should know that on February 10, 1956 the thermometer showed minus 28 degrees Celsius! Better to stay warm in the observatory…