I can only assume there is a website somewhere that says that this region is a hurricane zone because I regularly get asked whether the wind is a problem here. The answer is not a simple yes or no. But first, some background information (I’ve actually done some research for once!)
Apparently we get 4 types of wind here (no hurricanes), so in reverse order we begin with:
The Scirocco - This is the hot, dry wind that blows up from North Africa and deposits orange sand on your car. This very rarely happens so is not a problem - apart from having to clean your car (which I regularly do once a year whether it is dirty or not…)
The Levant - A hot and very humid wind which blows in across the Mediterranean from the South-East. Again, pretty rare and not a problem (unless you have hair that curls at the slightest trace of humidity …)
The Marin - Very similar to the Levant but this one is more likely to bring clouds and rain with it - and, again, gives me an instant unwanted perm.
The Tramontane - Yes, this is the one that everyone talks about. Apparently it is ‘powerful, dry and cold and blows from the north or northwest’. Gusts can reach over 100kmh.
So, the only wind we really need to talk about is the Tramontane, and in fact we are ‘suffering’ from it today as I write. All it means is that I’ve had to thoroughly peg-down the washing on the line, take down the parasols, and I am making sure that the sun-lounger cushions don’t fly into the pool by regularly lying there to keep a close eye on things (a tough job but somebody has to do it!). So it is by no means a huge problem, and it only ever lasts for a few days at most. In fact I would say it is a good thing - we get spectacular sunsets with ‘spaceship’ style clouds, it keeps the skies clear and blue so we can enjoy our reputation as the sunniest region in France - and laundry dries within 5 minutes of being pegged out!
(Thank you to Gilly J-f for the photo)
