London: The steeply-sloping fields that flank the hilltop villages ought to be carpeted in white.
By late May, in the picturesque French Provencal region of the Luberon, the cherry blossom should be in full bloom - a dazzling display across the hills and valleys. This year is different. Instead of cherry blossom, the region, as with much of Europe, is white with frost, after enduring freezing temperatures and driving rain.
“The weather has been totally different this year,” said Susan Bastable, a British psychologist who has lived in Provence for 22 years.
“I can’t remember a spring that has been so wet, so windy, and so cold. People have still got heating on and that is unheard of at this time of year. For the last seven years my granddaughter has been having her birthday party here and it has been warm enough to swim. But there is no question of that happening now.”
On Friday the Tarn region was put on “orange alert” for flooding, while the Porte Puymorens ski resort in the Pyrenees, will reopen in June for the first time. In France, as in much of Europe, the weather is unhinged. Flash floods swept Italy last month, forcing the cancellation of several stages of the Giro d’Italia cycling classic, and in Rome, the Pope gave his address last Sunday in torrential rain, surrounded by a sea of umbrellas.
In Spain, hikers on the Camino de Santiago in the north were confronted with snowy passes more akin to Alpine treks than springtime strolls. The northern areas of the country have been badly hit. Floods swept Galicia this spring, with 70mph winds, and last week storms battered the coast of Tarragona.
On May 23, Holland had its coldest May day since 1901. So with only seven weeks to go until many British schools break up for the summer holidays, families will be wondering whether it was wise after all to seek European sun.
“What has happened is that a lot of the weather systems around us have moved south, meaning that Spain, Italy and France are in effect having our weather,” said Helen Chivers from the British Met Office.
“They’ve had the depression, snow and rain that we would have had. And the coldness is coming through winds blowing directly from the North Pole. By now we would expect high pressure to be coming in from the Azores, but the patterns show the low pressure is still very much in charge.”
But the situation may be improving, she said. “Signs show that across Europe things are going to get slightly better. The east coast of the UK will still have cloud and rain for the next few weeks but hopefully it will be warmer further south.”
Those making summer plans may be having a rethink - but for many it will be too late. Last week, on the coast of Tuscany, the beaches were almost empty - unheard of in late May. One tourist said: “Us Brits were the only ones swimming - none of the Italians went anywhere near the sea. We had packed our flip-flops and beach gear, and really had to force ourselves to make the most of it. It was crazy weather for the time of year.”
Further south, along the Amalfi Coast, there were reports of some of the smaller hotels delaying opening. While the larger resorts attracting international clientele book up far in advance, the family-run establishments rely more on Italian guests, who decided not to brave the weather.
“It’s true that we have had bad weather, particularly in the north,” said Stefania Gatta, from the Italian tourist board. “But it hasn’t affected foreign tourism too much - the Italians won’t make the effort, but the British still go.”
And the weather in Germany - after the chilliest March in 25 years - is even being blamed for the poor economic data, causing weaker than expected sales.
But the miserable start to the year has failed to deter the more hardy holidaymakers from having a spring break.
“It’s true that it’s been very cold,” said Laurence Delfosse, the owner of Camping Luberon in France.
“But we are actually full. Our clients come from Germany, the Netherlands, the UK. It’s even worse there.”
