Day 2888 (Monday) 5th May 2025

This is Bay des Anges near Antibes

and this is Eze Village.

It was a bit overcast this morning but it did clear up a bit this afternoon.

 

As usual on a Monday What’s happening in France this week (the Local France.)

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks to military officers at the Arc de Triomphe as part of the ceremonies marking VE Day in Paris on May 8, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / various sources / AFP)

From a week of potentially disruptive French rail strikes to the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe and Emmanuel Macron's attempts to entice foreign researchers, here's what is happening in France this week.

Monday

French rail strikes - A week of strike action - dubbed a semaine noire - by French train drivers, conductors, and mechanics is set to begin on Monday, May 5th. Various strike action by different workers within the rail sector is set to continue throughout the week. 

Macron researcher meeting - French President Emmanuel Macron has called for researchers "from the entire world to choose France and Europe", with a meeting on May 5th. France has been actively courting US-based researchers after budget cuts and threats from the Trump administration.

Benefits increased to reflect inflation - From May 5th, people who receive benefits in France - such as the disabled adult allowance (Allocation aux adultes handicapés) or the top-up benefit for people in low-paying jobs (RSA, or Revenu de solidarité active) - will see their payments increased by 1.7 percent, in line with inflation.

Tap water restriction - In eastern France, specifically 11 municipalities in the Haut-Rhin département, local authorities have issued a decree recommending that certain 'sensitive' groups (children under two years old, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly and immune-compromised individuals) should not drink the tap water due to high levels of PFAS (forever chemicals).

Tuesday

Parliament considers road homicide bill - French MPs will on Tuesday begin examining a bill for the creation of a délit (a lower-level criminal offence) for killing someone while driving. Currently, this offence is considered manslaughter (homicide involontaire) but if the bill passes it would become a délit d'homicide routier.

Wednesday

Conclave begins - While this is not French-specific news, there are five French cardinals participating in the conclave to elect the new Pope. Based on the current hypotheses, it does not seem highly likely that a French cardinal will be chosen, but archbishop of Marseille, Jean-Marc Aveline, is in the running, according to the BBC. It will also be a Frenchman, Domonique Mamberti, who will announce the name of the next Pope to the world.

Traffic on French roads - As Wednesday is the day before a public holiday in France, many people will take the opportunity to faire le pont and build a long weekend by taking off Friday as well. French traffic watchdog Bison Futé has placed the entire country on 'orange' alert, with the south-east on the red level for heavy traffic.

Champions League football match - The UEFA Champions League semi final, between Paris-Saint-Germain and Arsenal will take place at 9pm at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

This is the Hotel Versailles 

Thursday

VE Day - Victory in Europe Day, which is celebrated on May 8th, involves military parades and remembrance events in towns and cities around France, as well as the wearing of the bleuet. This year will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe.

Friday

French motorcycle Grand Prix - The motorcycle race will begin on Friday in Le Mans, France. 

France and Poland friendship treaty - French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would welcome the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, to Nancy (in eastern France) sign a friendship treaty on May 9th.

Sunday

Mother's Day (for US readers) - While British Mother's Day already passed and French Mother's Day is not until May 25th, US Mother's Day is on Sunday May 11th this year. Don't forget to show some love to the mums in your life.

More traffic on French roads - Bison Futé placed all of France on orange alert, with the south-east on red alert, for heavy traffic for returns on Sunday, as holidaymakers head home following the long weekend.

Does Nice really have a microclimate?

A youth dives into the Mediterranean sea on the French riviera city of Nice, southern France on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)

Locals in the Mediterranean city of Nice like to boast that it has a 'microclimate' making it sunny in the winter but not intolerably hot in summer - but is this actually true?

The city of Nice's tourism website describes it as benefiting from "an exceptional microclimate which contributes to its reputation.

"Open to the sea, the town is protected from the wind by its hills; to the west by the Estérel massif and to the north-west by the barrier of the Mercantour Alps.

"The climate, always mild in winter, is never too hot in summer, thanks to the sea breeze."

What is a microclimate?

According to the definition by the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources a microclimate is "a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. It can be as small as a few square feet or cover hundreds of square miles."

According to Geo France magazine, a microclimate can be caused by a number of different circumstances, like proximity to a nearby body of water that absorbs and releases heat more slowly, or a valley fixed between two mountain ranges. 

You can also use it to describe urban spaces where temperatures tend to be hotter than surrounding areas, thanks to paved roads, high density infrastructure and a lower quantity of trees and green areas.

The term is particularly useful for people working in agriculture, as microclimates can help determine the best places for growing plants.

Does Nice count as a 'microclimate'?

This definition of 'microclimate' is broad and there is no official list of microclimates in France.

Nice often boasts having over 300 days of sunny weather a year (or 2,694 hours of sunshine) with an annual average temperature of 16C. However, this is pretty typical for the Côte d'Azur.

It is the Mediterranean sea that helps give Nice its temperate climate - during heatwaves, you might see that inland areas, like Nîmes and even Avignon, have hotter weather than Nice. According to Actu France, this is mainly because of the city's proximity to the sea, which helps moderate temperatures.

It does appear that Nice is slightly more temperate than other parts of the Mediterranean coast. For example, the average 'high' in Toulon in August is 29.8C, whereas in Nice it is 27.9C.

In terms of whether Nice is the sunniest city in France, this title changes every year - but Grasse, Antibes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cannes, Nice, Fréjus, Martigues and Marseille are reliably in the top 10.

What about other 'microclimates' in France?

Brittany is also referred to as the region in France with the highest number of 'microclimates'.

One forecaster, Stéven Tual, told the regional Quimper outlet of Actu France that "several microclimates coexist in Brittany.

"Mild weather and more sunshine in the Gulf of Morbihan, while a westerly wind brings more precipitation from Finistère to the Monts d'Arrée, and there are even periods of drought and drier weather in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc.

"It's impossible to list them all, as there are so many variations in the weather in Brittany," he said.