It was expected. The mercury fell last night from Thursday January 18 to Friday January 19 well below zero throughout the region. The absolute record was broken in Arras, in Pas-de-Calais, displaying -14.7°C. The last one dated from 1987 with 14.1°C.
The snow has fallen and the cold has set in in Hauts-de-France. “This wave comes from a combination of several phenomena, explains Claire Villain, meteorologist from Météo France. It’s winter. We have a Siberian anticyclone sending us cold air. We have snow on the ground and clear skies.“
“The presence of snow accentuates heat loss through nighttime radiation, specifies Serge Zaka, doctor in agrometeorology, this is why several stations recorded -10°C this morning only on snow-covered ground and these -10°C seem surprising, because we are no longer used to it. It was much more common in the last century.“Knowing that the last record recorded in Beauvais dates from January 28, 1954 with -19.7°C and -20°C in Saint-Quentin on January 17, 1985.
This is how Arras broke its absolute cold record this year with -14.7°C. The previous record dated January 12, 1987 with -14.1°C. “However, indicates Dr Serge ZAKA, it is a young resort opened in 1986. It has not experienced many episodes of intense cold.”
The last cold record in Arras dates back to 1987. So I looked at the map of minimums from January 12, 1987 and compared it to January 19, 2024.
Let me laugh 😅😂
Right: 1987.
Left: 2024. pic.twitter.com/vtLgrIDL0N— Dr. Serge Zaka (Dr. Zarge) (@SergeZaka) January 19, 2024
Dr Serge Zaka also recalls that “last year, for every cold record, we broke 63 heat records“.
Despite the end of the orange alert for snow and ice on Thursday, the cold episode persists in the north of France, notably -13°C in Rouvroy-les-Merles (Oise), -12°C in Epehy (Somme) or -11°C in Beauvais in Oise. In Saint-Quentin (Aisne) and Amiens (Somme), the thermometer showed -9°C.
The minimums recorded from 7 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. this morning:
- -14.7°C in Arras (62)
- -12.7°C in Rouvroy-les-Merles (60)
- -12.4°C in Poix de Picardie (80)
- -12.6°C in Doullens (80)
- -11.6°C in Forges (76)
In the large cities, Beauvais is the coldest this morning:
- -11°C in Beauvais (60)
- -9.9°C in Amiens (60)
- -8.7°C in St Quentin (02)
- -8.5°C in Pontoise (95)
- -8.2°C in Lille (59)
- -8°C in Abbeville (80)
Cold values will still persist next night “but with significant frosts, warns Claire Villain of Météo France. Then it will heat up with disturbances. We leave with milder temperatures from Sunday.”