In July and August, the temperatures in Toulouse were the same as in Athens!
Temperatures hit record highs this summer. According to the first assessment of meteorological readings, the climatic conditions were the same in Toulouse and Athens, Greece. An extraordinary summer. Explanations with meteorologist Pascal Boureau.
Temperatures hit record highs this summer. According to the first assessment of meteorological readings, the climatic conditions were the same in Toulouse and Athens, Greece. Explanations with meteorologist Pascal Boureau.
How will the summer of 2022 have been exceptional in Haute-Garonne?
An Athenian summer…! In August, the average daily maximum temperature reached 33 degrees, exactly the same value as the average recorded in Athens this year (this value for August is close to normal for Athens, but 4.5 degrees above Toulouse normal). Over the whole of the summer, there is an average of 18.5 for the minimums and 31.5 for the maximums, i.e. almost 4 degrees above normal, which places the summer of 2022 in 2nd place. hottest summers, 2 tenths of the 2003 record (global average daytime and nighttime temperatures 25.1 in 2022 and 25.3 in 2003).
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“It is also the driest and sunniest summer”
What was the level of precipitation (with an element of comparison)?
It is also the driest summer ever recorded in Toulouse, with an accumulation of 63 liters of water per square meter, i.e. a deficit of 60% compared to normal (an average of 150 liters falls during the 3 months meteorological summer). The summer of 2003 had seen an accumulation of 67 liters, so very close to 2022.
Finally, it is also the sunniest summer with a total of 886 hours of sunshine, equal to the summer of 1976. This represents a bonus of 150 hours of sunshine compared to normal.
Can we conclude that each summer confirms a little more global warming?
The ten hottest and driest summers are almost all revealed in the 21st century… Which confirms the trend towards warming and an increase in the frequency of summer droughts.
Has the weather become so capricious that it becomes “unpredictable” for weather forecasters?
Forecasters have models that simulate atmospheric variations well, but it is true that these variations lead to more frequent extreme phenomena, which is logical since the energy available in the lower layers of the atmosphere is greater due to global warming. overall.
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“From the Acropolis to the geese of the Capitol, there is not much difference anymore”
Is the climate of Toulouse oriented towards that of a southern European metropolis?
Little by little, we are sliding towards values generally produced in Barcelona or Rome, in particular from May to October.
This year, we experienced in Toulouse the same temperatures as those produced in Rome in June-July-August, and exactly the same average in Athens and Toulouse for the month of August (33 degrees)… from the Acropolis to the Capitol geese, there isn’t much difference!
Should we consider a more suitable town planning, with facades painted white and veils stretched above the streets?
What is essential is to green cities, with pergolas, planting trees, walls of greenery. The city of Nîmes, for example, has been anticipating for years, with many islands of coolness in the squares and in the widest streets (trees, arbours, perennial grasses) and also small canals which provide natural air conditioning. The worst is the artificial air conditioning which brings a surplus of temperature outside: +2.5 degrees calculated by Météo France in the streets of Toulouse in summer.