Suffering from Wind ....

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)

Winter in the South of France

People often ask me what’s the weather like here in winter and it is hard not to sound smug but the obvious answer is “Sunny”.  The Languedoc boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year and checking that you have your sunglasses with you when you leave the house is as natural as carrying an umbrella in the UK. 

Talking of rain; it doesn’t very much and when it does rain it seems to be during the night – seriously!  Having said that, this year we have had a couple of very bad days of rainstorms where there were flood alerts but occasions like this are very rare.  You might notice when walking around the towns that the drainpipes on buildings empty directly onto the pavements rather than into drains – definitely not designed for practical use! 

The Mediterranean climate is very similar to the people who live here – gentle & easy to live with.  Winters are mild and the summers are pleasantly warm – although there are exceptions.  I have just looked up some ‘average’ temperatures and I see that January should be around 12 degrees (today it was 22 degrees on our terrace), and last August we had a ferocious heatwave where temperatures hit the high thirties rather than the 28 degree average temperature suggested.

The small price we have to pay for this wonderful climate is that we occasionally have to endure the Tramontane Wind.  This is a strong, chilly wind that comes from the North-West and can gust up to 100kmh.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason for why it starts and every elderly resident here has a different theory on how long it will last (5 days is my longest experience) but one thing is for sure – it blows away any threatening looking clouds in the winter and makes the summer heat bearable.

Today is January 5^th and the sun has been shining all day and the sky is a brilliant blue. We have been for a long walk on an almost deserted beach, had lunch sitting outside at a restaurant, and relaxed on our terrace at home soaking up the afternoon sunshine. How is the weather with you.....?!