April Fools: Spring snow creates wintry scenes in France
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 1, 2022 10:54 AM EST
|
Updated Apr 3, 2022 9:25 AM EST
Residents of France were warned of a disruption to traffic due to an early-spring snowfall on April 1.
The calendar has flipped to April, but residents across France stepped out the door on Friday to a burst of cold air and snow. Forecasters say a broad storm over south-central Europe unleashed the wintry weather mere days after spring warmth enveloped the region.
In downtown Paris, the lightly falling snow proved to be more of a nuisance for residents who may have enjoyed weeks of mild weather, as opposed to being a hazard to travel or disruption to daily routines. The recent spring warmth helped cause most of the snow to melt immediately on contact with roads and sidewalks in the metro area, with elevated and grassy areas being the first surfaces to be dusted with white snowflakes.
This is the first snowfall recorded at Paris Orly Airport since Feb. 10, 2021, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer, adding that a lot of the snow in downtown Paris was melting fairly quickly given its light nature and the time of the year.
"What’s impressive is the speed at which the weather turned, rather than the snow itself. We had near summer conditions just last weekend and now it’s freezing cold!" said Romain Lacombe, a Paris resident and founder of Plume Labs, an environmental technology company acquired by AccuWeather in January.
In the week preceding the cold and snow, the city had experienced highs in the 60s F (16-21 C) consistently with a few days hitting the 70-degree Fahrenheit (21-degree Celsius) mark. High temperatures are typically around 55 F (13 C) in Paris at the start of April, but the city failed to hit 40 F (4 C) on Friday.
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The stark white of the freshly fallen snow created quite a contrast against spring's blooming colors.
Lacombe noted that while the snow may be "fun" to see flying in the city, the turn to wintry weather following above-average warmth can have an adverse consequence on agricultural producers across the region.
"With the warmer conditions these past few weeks, some of the trees and flowers have started blooming already and may be killed by [this] freeze wave," Lacombe said.
Widespread rain (green) and snow (blue) showers can be seen across France as a cold storm swirled overhead on Friday, April 1, 2022. (AccuWeather)
Snow fell heavily enough in other parts of the country to pile up on the landscape and create slushy and slippery conditions on the roadways.
Across portions of east-central France, snowfall amounts of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) were reported. Lyon recorded a mixture of rain and snow, with higher-terrain areas on the outskirts of the city picking up a fresh accumulation of snow.
Earlier in the week, the same storm unleashed a burst of snow and Arctic air over the United Kingdom, with thundersnow reported in some areas.
Temperatures slowly began to moderate across Western Europe over the weekend as the core of the cold air pulled away from the area.
Smithmyer said that seasonable conditions are expected to return to the region early this week, but that the push of milder air would come with the return of rain showers.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
April Fools: Spring snow creates wintry scenes in France
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 1, 2022 10:54 AM EST | Updated Apr 3, 2022 9:25 AM EST
Residents of France were warned of a disruption to traffic due to an early-spring snowfall on April 1.
The calendar has flipped to April, but residents across France stepped out the door on Friday to a burst of cold air and snow. Forecasters say a broad storm over south-central Europe unleashed the wintry weather mere days after spring warmth enveloped the region.
In downtown Paris, the lightly falling snow proved to be more of a nuisance for residents who may have enjoyed weeks of mild weather, as opposed to being a hazard to travel or disruption to daily routines. The recent spring warmth helped cause most of the snow to melt immediately on contact with roads and sidewalks in the metro area, with elevated and grassy areas being the first surfaces to be dusted with white snowflakes.
This is the first snowfall recorded at Paris Orly Airport since Feb. 10, 2021, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer, adding that a lot of the snow in downtown Paris was melting fairly quickly given its light nature and the time of the year.
"What’s impressive is the speed at which the weather turned, rather than the snow itself. We had near summer conditions just last weekend and now it’s freezing cold!" said Romain Lacombe, a Paris resident and founder of Plume Labs, an environmental technology company acquired by AccuWeather in January.
In the week preceding the cold and snow, the city had experienced highs in the 60s F (16-21 C) consistently with a few days hitting the 70-degree Fahrenheit (21-degree Celsius) mark. High temperatures are typically around 55 F (13 C) in Paris at the start of April, but the city failed to hit 40 F (4 C) on Friday.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The stark white of the freshly fallen snow created quite a contrast against spring's blooming colors.
Lacombe noted that while the snow may be "fun" to see flying in the city, the turn to wintry weather following above-average warmth can have an adverse consequence on agricultural producers across the region.
"With the warmer conditions these past few weeks, some of the trees and flowers have started blooming already and may be killed by [this] freeze wave," Lacombe said.
Widespread rain (green) and snow (blue) showers can be seen across France as a cold storm swirled overhead on Friday, April 1, 2022. (AccuWeather)
Snow fell heavily enough in other parts of the country to pile up on the landscape and create slushy and slippery conditions on the roadways.
Across portions of east-central France, snowfall amounts of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) were reported. Lyon recorded a mixture of rain and snow, with higher-terrain areas on the outskirts of the city picking up a fresh accumulation of snow.
Earlier in the week, the same storm unleashed a burst of snow and Arctic air over the United Kingdom, with thundersnow reported in some areas.
Temperatures slowly began to moderate across Western Europe over the weekend as the core of the cold air pulled away from the area.
Smithmyer said that seasonable conditions are expected to return to the region early this week, but that the push of milder air would come with the return of rain showers.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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