Up to 25°C in Occitanie and “no sign of rain in sight”: Météo-France is worried about the drought on the Mediterranean coast

Cette semaine il fera jusqu'à 23 degrés à Perpignan. ILLUSTRATION MIDI LIBRE – MIKAËL ANISSET

Avec des températures exceptionnellement élevées pour un mois de janvier, la sécheresse persiste et s'intensifie sur le pourtour Méditerranéen, notamment dans les Pyrénées-Orientales. Une situation jugée préoccupante par Météo-France.

After wintery weather, a clear warm spell set in this Monday, January 22, in the wake of depression Isha. The contrast in temperatures is also "striking" compared to last weekend, note Météo-France.

Up to 25°C in the Pyrénées-Orientales

A peak of mildness will take place this Wednesday January 24 and Thursday January 25, particularly on the Mediterranean coast, where it will be 21°C in Montpellier, 23°C in Perpignan and up to &#39 ;at 25°C locally in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

The January records could probably be equaled, or even exceeded occasionally, specifies the meteorological institute. For information, the record in Perpignan is 25.0 °C in January 1944, that of Carcassonne is at 21.1 °C, established in January 1955.  

Aucune pluie en vue ces 10 prochains jours sur le littoral méditerranéen aggravant la sécheresse, déjà présente, tout particulièrement en Roussillon.

La sécheresse dans les Pyrénées-Orientales atteint déjà des valeurs records.

Plus d'informations 👉https://t.co/PEB3GTpMmF pic.twitter.com/d4PGcofKgJ

— Météo-France (@meteofrance) January 23, 2024

Although appreciated after the cold snap, these high temperatures, coupled with a sequence of winds from the west, are very likely to contribute to dry out the soil. 

Unprecedented drought for the end of January

"The entire Mediterranean rim will very likely remain dry over the next 10 days, aggravating the worrying and chronic drought in the region, particularly in Roussillon", underlines in its latest Météo-France bulletin, predicting an "unprecedented" drought for the end of January.

Indeed, the soil humidity index aggregated in the Pyrénées-Orientales territory has reached record values ​​recorded since the beginning of the calculation of this parameter (1958).< /p>

With climate change due to human activities, such episodes are expected to increase in the years to come in this region, threatened by desertification in the event of too significant a rise in temperatures.