A look back at the weather forecast for summer 2022 in France
Strong, lasting heat
Like June and July (and last May), August continued the momentum with strong heat repeating throughout the month. The national monthly average was 23 degrees, the second highest value behind August 2003 and its 23.9 degrees. August is slightly warmer than July (22.6 degrees).
The national minimum was reached at Rueil-la-Gadelière, in Eure-et-Loir, with only 4.1 degrees on the 6th. In contrast, the heat record for the month in France was 41.8 degrees on the 12th in Durban-Corbières, in the Aude.
The number of days of heat and strong heat is very high. Orly counts 31 days in 31 heats (25 degrees and above), which is a first…
Despite frequent heat peaks and even heat waves, the 2003 heat wave was first in both duration and intensity.
The summer seasonal average is remarkably high in France. It is precisely 22.07 degrees. Therefore, the summer of 2022 is the second hottest summer behind the one that remains the reference, namely 2003, not much warmer at the end with an average of 22.24 degrees. In third place is the summer of 2018 with 21.15 degrees.
A little more water
After the record July of drought since 1946, August has seen the return of some hurricanes in some regions. Not enough to really improve the situation, although the topsoils have benefited from irrigation which has allowed the replanting of grasses.
France received 38 mm of rain in a monthly national average for the normal 52 mm. The deficit therefore reached 27%. Nothing unusual this time for August, 2016 was drier (23 mm) and the record still goes back to August 1991 (21 mm).
Nampcel, in the Oise, and Captieux-Rejtons, in the Landes, remained at 0 points in August, without even a drop of water. And it is in Autrans, in Isère, that rains the heaviest with 184 mm in the month for the normal 116 mm.
During the summer, France received 118 mm of rain for the normal 157 mm. The deficit therefore reached 25%. The summer of 2016 was relatively dry (114 mm) and the record still belongs to the summer of 1989 and its 84 mm of rain. Eight summers have been drier than this year since 1946. June storms are the tree sheltering the forest from this year’s drought. Stormy rainfall is ineffective for deep groundwater and only partially feeds surface groundwater. And the drought of recent months continues to weigh on.
It will be necessary to hope for frequent and heavy rains in the coming months to allow a clear improvement in the situation.
Remarkable sunlight
It is not surprising that again, thesunlight remained high in August. The sun star shines for 283 hours on a monthly national average (284 hours in 2016 and 301 record hours in 1991). The normal is 241 hours. The surplus therefore reached 17%.
In Marseille-Marignane the sun is the brightest with 246 hours of presence, and in Biarritz the clouds cover it the most for 224 hours.
During the three summer months, France benefited from 894 hours of sunshine out of the normal 730 hours. The surplus reached 22%! Only the summer of 1949 exceeded this figure with 911 hours of sunshine. 1976 was third with 882 hours.
Outstanding phenomena
We will keep it too relatively frequent storm passages particularly in the south and east of the country through the Massif Central, and more specifically the stormy offensive on August 18 in Corsica, causing very strong winds, sometimes exceeding 200 km/h, thus causing great damage and in unfortunately loss of human life.
To remember too forest fire record… mostly of human origin (accidental or criminal). Dry and sometimes windy conditions remain, allowing these fires to spread and burn very widely…
A summer “of all hazards” as many media have titled it. Without quite reaching the records for the hottest summer (still held in 2003), the driest summer (1989) or the sunniest (1949). But very long months of drought, since August 2021, have greatly complicated agricultural activities and forest fires. It remains hopeful for large and repeated rains in the coming weeks and months to replenish our surface and deep water tables.
