Storm Erminio to bring strong winds to southern France
Mediterranean storm will also lead to new snow in Pyrénées
Snowfall is expected in the Pyrénées on Wednesday. Archive photo shows mountains in Porta, Pyrénées-Orientales
BreizhAtao/Shutterstock
A powerful Mediterranean storm is set to hit the south of France at the end of this week, bringing strong winds and rain.
Dubbed Storm Erminio, it began passing through the Mediterranean at the start of the week.
It will mostly affect North Africa, Italy, and Greece, bringing rainfall of more than 150mm to southern Italy and snow in the Algerian mountains.
France will also be hit by the passage of the storm, albeit less severely.
Snow in Pyrénées and chilly temperatures in east
Storm Erminio will interact with existing weather patterns over France, including cooler winds in the north, leading to disturbances across southern and central areas.
Snowfall is expected in the Pyrénées at 1,200m to 1,400m above sea level, with showers among the foothills due to the storm.
Unrelated to Storm Erminio, pockets of rain across central France are also forecast.
Temperatures will remain below average until the weekend, particularly in the east of France, with morning frosts expected. Temperatures will be 3C to 8C below average across the south and east at the end of the week.
Storm Erminio will also contribute to strong winds across the south of France – including the Mistral and Tramontane gales on the mainland – as well as in Corsica.
The storm will continue to impact conditions until Friday, bringing winds and keeping temperatures low.
As of 08:00 on Monday April 1, state forecaster Météo France has not placed any departments on a heightened warning level due to the storm.
However, tier-two yellow warnings over icy roads/black ice and avalanches are in place across the Pyrénées range, with avalanche warnings also in place across the Alps. Corse du Sud is facing a warning over strong winds.
Note that these alerts do not require people to stay indoors, but they should be mindful when outside and take precautions on the roads or in mountainous areas.
Current forecasts see warnings limited only to the Pyrénées on Thursday, and conditions should improve by the weekend, where temperatures will jump up to above average.
