| Mont Aigoual | |
|---|---|
East face of Mont Aigoual
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,567 m (5,141 ft) |
| Prominence | 730 m (2,400 ft) |
| Coordinates | 44°07′22″N 3°34′30″E / 44.12278°N 3.57500°E / 44.12278; 3.57500 |
| Geography | |
| Location |  France |
| Parent range | Massif Central |
Mont Aigoual (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃ ɛɡwal]; Occitan: Mont Augal, elevation 1567m / 5141 ft) is the highest point of the Gard department, France. It is part of the Massif Central, and it is located within the Cévennes National Park. Its southern slopes are the source of the river Hérault flowing into the Mediterranean.
When the sky is clear, it is possible to see the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees, and also the Alps and Mont Blanc in particular. The summit is accessible by car from a variety of converging surfaced approaches.
This granite and schist outcrop is a major water catchment area in the Massif Central, being located where clouds from the cold Atlantic converge with warm Mediterranean air currents. The heavy rainfall has given the mountain its name: originally "Aiqualis" ('the watery one'). In an average year rainfall can measure up to 2,250 mm (89 in), making it the wettest place in France. Mont Aigoual forms part of the watershed between the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
The meteorological observatory, built in 1887 by the French Rivers Authority and Forestry Commission under the direction of Georges Fabre, is currently occupied by the French meteorological service (Météo France). It is the last remaining weather stationinFrance which is still inhabited by meteorologists. An exhibition on weather forecasting is open to visitors in the summer months.
Severe weather conditions are sometimes recorded:
Mont Aigoual features a cool-summer variant of an oceanic climate (Cfc), bordering to a subpolar (Dfc) (highland) climate.
| Town | Sunshine (hours/yr) |
Rain (mm/yr) |
Snow (days/yr) |
Storm (days/yr) |
Fog (days/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National average | 1,973 | 770 | 14 | 22 | 40 |
| Mont Aigoual | N/A | 1,931.7 | 62.3 | 22.7 | 241.0 |
| Paris | 1,661 | 637 | 12 | 18 | 10 |
| Nice | 2,724 | 767 | 1 | 29 | 1 |
| Strasbourg | 1,693 | 665 | 29 | 29 | 56 |
| Brest | 1,605 | 1,211 | 7 | 12 | 75 |
| Climate data for Mont Aigoual, France (altitude 1567m, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.5 (61.7) |
20.5 (68.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
29.9 (85.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
27.8 (82.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
30.4 (86.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
8.4 (47.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
3.4 (38.1) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
14.1 (57.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
2.2 (36.0) |
0.1 (32.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.4 (39.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
4.3 (39.7) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −23.1 (−9.6) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
−19.7 (−3.5) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−28.0 (−18.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 176.4 (6.94) |
141.1 (5.56) |
136.9 (5.39) |
169.3 (6.67) |
157.5 (6.20) |
89.1 (3.51) |
57.0 (2.24) |
60.4 (2.38) |
184.0 (7.24) |
309.7 (12.19) |
297.4 (11.71) |
191.2 (7.53) |
1,970 (77.56) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.2 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 11.2 | 10.8 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 8.4 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 12.9 | 124.3 |
| Average snowy days | 12.2 | 11.6 | 11.4 | 9.1 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 10.2 | 68.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82 | 85 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 78 | 80 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 81.8 |
| Source 1: Météo France[3][4][5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[6] | |||||||||||||
Mont Aigoual (1507 metres) was first used by the Tour de France in 1987onStage 17 from MillautoAvignon, when Italian rider Silvano Contini (Italy) of Del Tongo was first over the summit.[7]
The climb featured in the 2020 Tour de FranceonStage 6 as a summit finish from Le Teil.[8] The winner was the Kazakh cyclist Alexey LutsenkoofAstana Pro Team.
The Tour of Mont Aigoual is the semi-fictional cycle race in the book The RiderbyTim Krabbé.
The race is recreated on the Rapha[9] and on the inrng[10] weblogs
Authority control databases: National  |
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