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Aigoual's
Climate
The Aigoual Massif is the first mountain obstacle for the warm,
damp winds coming up off the Mediterranean. Its high altitude
makes it into a powerful condensation machine. Its 1567 metre
summit is one of the wettest places in France.
The difference between the mountain's Northern and Southern
slopes is striking, coinciding with the watershed. The very
eroded Southern face is much steeper ; the mica and schist are
more crumbly than granite, but precipitation from the Mediterranean
is also much more violent than from the Atlantic. The Northern
and Western slopes are gentler, covered with vegetation which
absorbs more water. The wind is very strong on the completely
exposed Aigoual summits.
Absolute record of temperatures
minimum : - 28 °C.
Absolute maximum :
+ 28 °C.
Variation over 30 minutes
: 6 °C.
Memorable bad weather
3rd, 4th, 5th February 1916 : Southern blizzard, impossible
to go outside, the windows were shattered and the météo
shelter was damaged. At least 1 metres 80 snow fell in two
days ; this is an estimate, because the snow was blown around
by the wind. On 4th February, the wind reached 73 metres a
second, which is 260 kilometres an hour...
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