Thousands of fires lit to stave off historic cold at French farms
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 4, 2022 12:39 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 5, 2022 10:52 AM EDT
As a cold spell settled in on Saint-Emilion, France, on April 4, vineyards lit 'candles' to help protect their vines.
Arctic air poured over Western Europe during the first weekend of April, causing temperatures to plummet to record low levels as farmers scrambled to protect their fruit crops from a damaging frost.
The bitter cold followed an unusually mild last half of March with temperatures frequently soaring into the 60s and lower 70s F (16-23 C), which prompted the early budding of fruit trees and grapevines. By the first days of April, freezing air threatened significant and costly damage to the blossoming crops.
Météo-France, the country's meteorological service, said the night of April 3 was the coldest night on a national scale since the creation of the national thermal indicator in 1947, with an average temperature of 29.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees below zero Celsius). This indicator averages the temperature of weather observation sites across France. The indicator's previous record low was 29.5 F (1.4 below zero C) set on April 12, 1986.
Record low temperatures for the month of April were also set at individual French sites, including in Mourmelon-le-Grand, Châteauroux, Cognac, Auch, Vannes and Dax, according to Météo-France. Additional daily record lows were broken across France on Monday, April 4, with one record dating back to 1929.
The Mont Aigoual Observatory, located in southern France at an elevation of 5,141 feet (1,567 meters), recorded a daytime temperature of 19 F (7 below zero C) on Friday, April 1, which was the site's coldest day in April since 1911. The high on April 5 of that year was only 16 F (9 below zero C). Data at the observation site dates back to December 1895.
The cold arrived with a winterlike snowfall across much of the region, including in downtown Paris, where snow fell for the first time in over a year. The snow proved to be more of a nuisance than a travel hazard in the metro area as the recent spring warmth caused immediate melting on roads and sidewalks.
France was not the only country in Western Europe subject to the quick reversal of seasons.
On Saturday night, a new record low temperature for April was set in northwestern Germany as an observation site at Bad Berleburg-Hemschlar dropped to 9.1 F (12.7 below zero C), according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
"The coldest values previously in April in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, were 11.3 F (11.5 below zero C) in Kall-Sistig on April 12, 1986, and 11.7 F (11.3 below zero C) in both Kahler Asten and Rötgen," Roys said.
Green trees stand on a meadow that is covered with freshly fallen snow in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, April 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Roys noted that in the Netherlands, a temperature of 20.7 F (6.3 below zero C) at Deelan set a new mark for the coldest night ever measured on April 3, with records dating back to 1909.
Experts say it is too early to tell how much of a detrimental impact the cold may have had on fruit crops across the region, including the acres of vineyards that produce prized French wine.
In preparation for the Arctic air, vintners lit rows of large candles in their groves to protect blooming buds and flowers from the frost.
“After that, you have to cross your fingers and pray to God,” one French winemaker, whose vineyard has produced wine for 400 years, told The Associated Press (AP).
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Heaters and pellet stoves were used in Switzerland to protect stone fruits such as cherries, apricots and plums which are in the delicate blooming stage, The AP reported.
Other fruit growers across Western Europe sprayed their crops with water, which, when frozen in the bitter cold, creates an insulating layer of ice around the plant that protects it from the harsh exterior temperatures.
This year's fear of crop damage has drawn comparisons to last April when an intense cold snap hit during the early part of the month following a mild March. Wine production was significantly cut in France following the severe spring frost.
Officials say the damage done by this round of frosty air will not be known for a few more weeks until all of the buds are out, The Connexion reported.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the wave of bitter cold has since exited the region and that no significant frost threats are on the horizon in the short term.
"The threat of frost is decreasing this week," Roys said, adding that a storm track across the northern third of Europe was helping to bring milder air into the region.
He noted that the next chance for a frost could come Saturday night across northern and eastern France and into Germany.
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
Thousands of fires lit to stave off historic cold at French farms
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 4, 2022 12:39 PM EDT | Updated Apr 5, 2022 10:52 AM EDT
As a cold spell settled in on Saint-Emilion, France, on April 4, vineyards lit 'candles' to help protect their vines.
Arctic air poured over Western Europe during the first weekend of April, causing temperatures to plummet to record low levels as farmers scrambled to protect their fruit crops from a damaging frost.
The bitter cold followed an unusually mild last half of March with temperatures frequently soaring into the 60s and lower 70s F (16-23 C), which prompted the early budding of fruit trees and grapevines. By the first days of April, freezing air threatened significant and costly damage to the blossoming crops.
Météo-France, the country's meteorological service, said the night of April 3 was the coldest night on a national scale since the creation of the national thermal indicator in 1947, with an average temperature of 29.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees below zero Celsius). This indicator averages the temperature of weather observation sites across France. The indicator's previous record low was 29.5 F (1.4 below zero C) set on April 12, 1986.
Record low temperatures for the month of April were also set at individual French sites, including in Mourmelon-le-Grand, Châteauroux, Cognac, Auch, Vannes and Dax, according to Météo-France. Additional daily record lows were broken across France on Monday, April 4, with one record dating back to 1929.
The Mont Aigoual Observatory, located in southern France at an elevation of 5,141 feet (1,567 meters), recorded a daytime temperature of 19 F (7 below zero C) on Friday, April 1, which was the site's coldest day in April since 1911. The high on April 5 of that year was only 16 F (9 below zero C). Data at the observation site dates back to December 1895.
The cold arrived with a winterlike snowfall across much of the region, including in downtown Paris, where snow fell for the first time in over a year. The snow proved to be more of a nuisance than a travel hazard in the metro area as the recent spring warmth caused immediate melting on roads and sidewalks.
France was not the only country in Western Europe subject to the quick reversal of seasons.
On Saturday night, a new record low temperature for April was set in northwestern Germany as an observation site at Bad Berleburg-Hemschlar dropped to 9.1 F (12.7 below zero C), according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
"The coldest values previously in April in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, were 11.3 F (11.5 below zero C) in Kall-Sistig on April 12, 1986, and 11.7 F (11.3 below zero C) in both Kahler Asten and Rötgen," Roys said.
Green trees stand on a meadow that is covered with freshly fallen snow in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, April 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Roys noted that in the Netherlands, a temperature of 20.7 F (6.3 below zero C) at Deelan set a new mark for the coldest night ever measured on April 3, with records dating back to 1909.
Experts say it is too early to tell how much of a detrimental impact the cold may have had on fruit crops across the region, including the acres of vineyards that produce prized French wine.
In preparation for the Arctic air, vintners lit rows of large candles in their groves to protect blooming buds and flowers from the frost.
“After that, you have to cross your fingers and pray to God,” one French winemaker, whose vineyard has produced wine for 400 years, told The Associated Press (AP).
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Heaters and pellet stoves were used in Switzerland to protect stone fruits such as cherries, apricots and plums which are in the delicate blooming stage, The AP reported.
Other fruit growers across Western Europe sprayed their crops with water, which, when frozen in the bitter cold, creates an insulating layer of ice around the plant that protects it from the harsh exterior temperatures.
This year's fear of crop damage has drawn comparisons to last April when an intense cold snap hit during the early part of the month following a mild March. Wine production was significantly cut in France following the severe spring frost.
Officials say the damage done by this round of frosty air will not be known for a few more weeks until all of the buds are out, The Connexion reported.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the wave of bitter cold has since exited the region and that no significant frost threats are on the horizon in the short term.
"The threat of frost is decreasing this week," Roys said, adding that a storm track across the northern third of Europe was helping to bring milder air into the region.
He noted that the next chance for a frost could come Saturday night across northern and eastern France and into Germany.
In other news:
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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