Climate Report 2019

2019: in the 3rd rank of the hottest years in France since the beginning of the 20th century

2019 was characterised by generous sunshine and a predominance of mildness throughout the year, with two heatwaves of exceptional intensity during the summer. Rainfall was highly contrasted. It was in deficit until the end of September, but in the last quarter it achieved a surplus close to 60% with very heavy rains in the south of the country. From September to December, the southern regions were hit by violent Mediterranean episodes accompanied by heavy rains that generated flash floods and locally devastating inundations, particularly in Hérault, Var, Alpes-Maritimes and Corsica.

Temperatures remained on average higher than normal except in January and May. Two heatwave episodes affected France from 25 to 30 June and then from 21 to 26 July. Many absolute records were broken across the country. In addition, the new absolute heat record for France was measured with 46°C on 28 June in Vérargues (Hérault) in the south-east. Thus, the summer of 2019 was the third hottest, behind 2003 and 2018.

The average annual temperature of 13.7°C was 1.1°C above normal*, making 2019 the third-warmest year since the beginning of the 20th century, behind 2018 (+1.4°C) and 2014 (+1.2°C).

Rainfall was close to normal on average across France and over the year, but highly contrasted. Following a very rainy last quarter of 2019, the west coast of France, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and Corsica were well watered with a surplus of 10 to 40%, and even more locally on the Côte d'Azur. The cumulative annual rainfall was more in line with normal in the rest of the country, except in Lorraine to the north of Auvergne and in Languedoc-Roussillon, where the deficit often reached 10 to 30%, and even more locally in Gard and Hérault.

From January to September, rainfall remained deficient. This lack of rainfall, combined with very high summer temperatures, caused a remarkable drying out of the surface soils from the Grand Est to the Massif Central, as well as on the Mediterranean rim in late summer and early autumn. A succession of disturbed passages from October to December with very heavy rainfall contributed to a return to normal annual rainfall.

Annual sunshine, generally close to normal** over the south of France, was more than 10% above normal over a large part of the northern half and over the Massif Central. The surplus reached 20% in the Centre-Val de Loire region and more locally in the Ardennes and Alsace, with 2,177 hours of sunshine in Colmar (Haut-Rhin), a value higher than that recorded in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) with 2,051 hours.

*Reference average 1981-2010.

**Reference average 1991-2010.

illustration personnes devant une fontaine

Remarkable events in 2019

  • Two exceptional heat waves in June and July 2019;
  • Intense rainstorm and tornado on 15 July 2019 in Haute-Corse;
  • Exceptional and persistent dryness of the soils until September;
  • Several intense Mediterranean episodes in autumn 2019;
  • Early snowy episode in the central-eastern plain, 14-15 November 2019;
  • Unsettled November and December 2019: disturbances, storms and gales.
Discover the other chapters of the current part