Weather: A “coup de galerne” on the Basque coast? The Phenomenon Explained – HuffPost

Hubert Stadler / Getty ImagesIn Biarritz, where a historic heat record was broken, the temperature fell sharply after a “galerne blow”, i.e. the arrival of a much cooler westerly wind (photo illustration showing the seafront of the Basque town). WEATHER – A record swept away by a gust of wind. This Saturday, June 18, while France is experiencing the peak of the heat wave that is hitting Europe, the mercury has risen particularly high on the Basque coast, and more generally on the south-west of the country. In Biarritz, for example, 42.9°C were measured, a historic high, when peaks of 42 or even 43°C were recorded in Aquitaine. And yet, a few hours later, the situation was back to normal. Indeed, while the thermometers still showed 42°C in Biarritz around 4:45 p.m., they only showed 23°C half an hour later. Or a sudden drop of about 20 degrees in about thirty minutes. Along the way, the color of the sky has also changed, going from immaculate blue to misty gray. Special conditions are necessaryThe result of a meteorological phenomenon baptized “enbata” in Basque or “galerne” in French, from the name of the wind which began to blow at that time. An impressive blow from Galerne (intrusion of the West wind) should cause the thermometer to drop by almost 20°C in one hour (!) at the start of the evening in the Basque Country and the Landes, ending the #heat wave on these sectors. Arome model via @meteocielpic.twitter.com/aeENIVt9z3— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) June 18, 2022But what is it? Well, as Météo France explains, on the whole French west coast from the Basque country to Brittany (where it has different local names), it is a known phenomenon, which very quickly transforms the weather, generally on the period from May to October. For the phenomenon to occur, specific conditions must be met: a particularly high air temperature for a significant period of time, and a marked difference with that of the water. In this case, a heat wave even before the start of summer looks like a textbook case. Moreover, the galerne was predictable this Saturday by noting the temperature difference between the French Basque country and the weather on the other side of the Pyrenees: it was 20°C less in Santander than in Biarritz. A potentially dangerous phenomenon, but welcome this year So suddenly, at the time of a galernal blow, the wind changes direction to move from the west. And due to the presence of a cold front along the coasts of northern Spain, powerful and very cold gusts began to blow over France, accompanied by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure and a rising humidity.

[DIRECT] #Heat wave: radical change in weather on the Basque coast after its absolute #heat #record! #Biarritz thus saw its temperature go from 42°C at 4:48 p.m. to 30°C 6 min later and even to 23°C around 5:20 p.m., i.e. 20°C lost in 30 min: a hell of a #galerne! @LCIpic.twitter.com/RVJuvGyZNx— Guillaume Woznica (@GWoznica) June 18, 2022Normandy atmosphere on the Anglet seafront after having 43 degrees #galerne#brouillartapic.twitter.com/Ndz2hLNSVx— Vincoabi (@Vincoabi) June 18, 2022The consequence therefore is a very clear change in the atmosphere on the Basque beaches. This Saturday, remarkable temperature drops were noted in Biarritz, but also in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pau or Tarbes. It should be noted that the blow of galerne is far from being trivial, even if the inhabitants of the region know it well. When going out to sea, for example, the sudden drop in temperature and the appearance of mist, fog and sometimes cold rain can prove to be particularly difficult for sailors to manage. 20°C difference between Santander #Spain where it is only 20°C with westerly winds and the #Basque Country and #Aquitaine where we exceed 41°C.
The westerly winds will enter suddenly on the French side at the end of the day, causing the temperature to drop by 15/20°C. #galernepic.twitter.com/L9uvRELHy4— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) June 18, 2022💨 #Galerna entrando en #Donostia. Images of the Diputación de Gipuzkoa. pic.twitter.com/bAniPo6MLr— Arnaitz Fernández (@Armeteo) June 18, 2022In this case, the phenomenon represents rather good news in the middle of June since it means a cooling of temperatures to come and a mass of hot air, responsible for the heat wave, which will gradually be pushed eastward. Especially since this will be accompanied, further north on the Atlantic coast, by the joint arrival of stormy disturbances which will bring the mercury down a little more, before a gradual return to normal over the whole territory in the coming days. The west of the country is finally breathing. See also on the HuffPost: Passed a certain threshold, it is possible to die of heat. Here’s why…