Climate of the Haute-Garonne

The climate of the Haute-Garonne is a moderate Climat with the oceanic influences and the Mediterranean with Hiver S moderated in the plain and more cold in the south, as well as the strong heats the be in the plain followed by very sunny Automne S. Springs are on the other hand rainy. The climate is also marked by the Vent of southerly wind in the Toulouse plain.

General information on a fragmented climate

The climate of the High Garonne is particularly interesting, because it is located at the meeting of multiple influences which can be classified in three principal:

the Aquitanian climate which is a very soft oceanic climate concerning the valley of the the Garonne. It is characterized per less days of rain than in north of the the Loire, but with more durable rains.
the climate of mountain has temperatures generally colder and precipitations more important than in plain.
the Mediterranean climate has temperatures generally hotter and precipitations rarer and concentrated without being lower, therefore often violent.

That is explained by the geography of this department particularly stretched, even compartmentalized. In short, the High Garonne is divided into three zones, of the south in the north, of which each one knows a dominant influence:

the mountain and the prémontagne, of Luchonnais to the Comminges (Saint-Martory establishing the approximate limit)
the moderated plain, of Bottom Comminges - Volvestre with the Toulouse plain
the Lauragais (in direction of the Aude)

Thus, these three zones see a prevalence of the Aquitanian climate, but with Mediterranean or mountain influences which are added to it.

Luchonnais and Comminges

Luchonnais and Comminges share several common points: areas of prémontagne, they have an altitude which goes 300-350 m for the area of Saint-Martory to the north of Comminges to 650m for Luchon (inhabited areas). Of course, the hills of the prémontagne reach the 1000 m while the peaks of Luchonnais reach the 2500 Mr.

In winter, the south of the High Garonne thus knows regularly falls of Neige, more frequent as one moves towards Luchonnais. In summer, in fact the Orage S are more frequent, because of more effective convection when altitude is high. It should be noted that these storms are very greligenes but generally not very windy. The East-West orientation of the the Pyrenees makes that the mode offering the most precipitations is the mode of western north. Flows of west or south offer generally only few rains. By orographical effect, the proximity of the assembly involves more important precipitations. Thus, precipitations go they crescent of north to the south (the annual figures given are approximate):

750 mm with Saint-Martory
850 mm with Montréjeau
1000 mm with Luchon

To note finally that Comminges follows the valley of the Garonne and thus has an altitude lower than the areas close to the Couseran in the east in Ariège and plate of Lannemezan in the west in the Hautes-Pyrénées (400m against 500m). That has an influence so much on precipitations and the snow which are weaker there than on the storms which tend to pass on the two plates (in particular on Lannemezan, frequently concerned with storms of hail) by avoiding Comminges.

A characteristic of the areas of mountain very present in the Pyrenees is the effect of Foehn. It is the hot Vent and dryness which relates to the slope under the wind at the time of a passage disturbed concerning the other pouring. Thus, when a flow of south is set up, the southern slope of the Pyrenees is sprinkled and been windy while the northern slope knows a particularly beautiful time and, especially, very soft, including in full heart of the winter.

For example, the same day and at the same time, the temperature can be of 10° on the southern slope of the Pyrenees, of 15° in Toulouse (150 m) and of 23° with Luchon (650m). And that in full winter. Thus, on February 16th, 2007, the temperature with Biarritz reached 20° with 7:00 of the morning, whereas it was at the same time only of 3° with Dax, 40km more in north (this example concerning a Pyrenean area can also apply to the High Garonne).

Toulouse region and Lauragais

The Toulouse region knows a moderate climate of plain.

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