Météo France was not mistaken. As expected, it snowed well overnight from Wednesday to Thursday at the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. A few snowflakes on the observatory terrace, located at an altitude of 2876 m. After a too hot summer, these are the first snowflakes observed at this altitude since May 27 according to Météo Pyrénées which shared a video of this August sleet.
“It’s weird, explains Jean Loirat, scientific and cultural mediator at the Pic du Midi. “We handed over the down jackets and we just turned it back on heater expressly, otherwise we would quickly get cold in the buildings.” This snow has also surprised the visitors of the day who were perhaps not expecting to see snow fall after two long months when abnormally high temperatures were recorded at the top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. “The little ones were disappointed not to be able to make snowballs because it doesn’t fit on the terrace yet, but they were happy to see the snow. It made them forget the previous heat waves,” says Jean Loirat.