Weather forecast: the year 2021 ends with a record of mildness

Europe 1 with AFP 6:04 p.m., December 31, 2021

The year 2021 ends in metropolitan France with temperature records, making it "the mildest ever measured since 1947", Météo France indicates on Friday, an anomaly consistent with climate change.

This record of softness concerns the whole of France, explained to AFP Christine Berne, climatologist at Météo France.

5 degrees warmer than normal at the end of December

"The temperatures were for eight days 5 degrees warmer than normal, with a national thermal indicator (average temperature average from 30 representative stations) of 10.7 degrees between December 24 and 31", specifies Météo France on its website.

"This end of the year 2021 is thus placed on the first step of the podium, ahead of 2002 (10.5 degrees) and 2015 (9.8 degrees)", according to the public establishment.

Records were broken, for example in Nîmes, with 20.9 degrees recorded on December 29 (measurements since 1922) at Marseille-Marignane with 20.7 degrees recorded on December 30 (measurements since 1922) ", as well as very nights. mild as in Perpignan with 16.9 degrees on December 29 (the measurements go back to 1924).

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A softness due to the hot air rising from North Africa

"This mild period is mainly due to the warm air coming up from North Africa and Spain," said Christine Berne.

Unlike a heatwave, these mild temperatures are not correlated with strong sunshine, continued the climatologist.

"Among the 20 softest end-of-year periods across France since 1947 (December 24 to 31), there are eight years belonging to the 21st century: 2002, 2015, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2009, 2019 and 2021 ", reports Météo-France.

A marker of climate change

"These waves of mildness in winter are the marker of climate change, it is consistent with the scarcity of cold waves, the last in France dating back to February 2012," said the climatologist, even if there is no 'specific studies on the subject.

These winter waves of mildness have no impact on health, unlike heat waves or cold waves.

On the other hand, they have an impact on snow cover, avalanche risks, snowmelt with flood risks and "on vegetation and agriculture because when the weather is mild, the vegetation can start and be affected. then by freezing, "warns Christine Berne.

Likewise, the absence of gel promotes the proliferation of certain parasites.