Summer will return after big getaway
As the first great escape begins today, holidaymakers are wondering what has happened to the sun
THE FIRST big holiday weekend getaway was due to begin in France today, but holidaymakers could be forgiven for wondering what has happened to the summer.
France has suffered a wet, windy and cold start to July, with temperatures closer to October norms than those expected in a typical summer.
The weather is at odds with an earlier long-range forecast that predicted a hot and stormy summer.
Last July, La Rochelle basked in 32C sunshine. So far this July, temperatures have averaged 20C. In Avignon, this year’s 23C average is a long way below the 34C it enjoyed last July; while this July’s 14C average in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, is half the temperature of last year, forecasters at La Chaîne Météo said.
The dismal start to the summer has been caused by a low-pressure system sitting over much of central Europe for some time, held in place by an anticyclone in the north that has brought warm summer sun to Scandinavia, and another out in the Atlantic.
The bad news is that the gloomy outlook is forecast to continue until Thursday. Temperatures are then expected to start to rise, although forecasters have said that they will not rise above April averages.
They also warn that holidaymakers should expect plenty of cloud and sudden sharp showers, even as temperature rises.
La Chaîne Météo experts say it will be a week on Tuesday before France starts to bask in the heat it usually enjoys in July.
They forecast a high-pressure system will come in from the Azores. Unfortunately, they can’t say how long this good weather will last.
The weather is not the only concern faced by travellers and holidaymakers in France this weekend.
National traffic watchdog Bison Futé has issued an orange alert across most of France, and put the Ile de France on red alert today. It has advised anyone travelling in and around Paris that the roads will be particularly busy this afternoon and this evening as holiday traffic and commuter traffic combine.
It has put the whole of France on red alert tomorrow, with tailbacks expected in key areas - notably in the Ile de France - from early morning, and said that Monday, Bastille Day, will also see heavier than normal levels of traffic, particularly in the afternoon.
Photo: unclekage
