Lannemezan

Lannemezan (; Gascon Occitan ''Lanamesa'', "heath of the middle") is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department and the Occitanie region in south-western France. The inhabitants are called Lannemezanais.

Lannemezan is the largest city in the .

Geography

The Petite Baïse has its source in the commune.

Lannemezan is around east of Tarbes, and around 100 km south-west of Toulouse.

Geology and relief

Over 50 million years, driven by movements of compression, low relief which constitutes the Pre-Pyrenees has risen. Glaciers and streams that cascade down its slopes subject to mountain erosion which flows off from the foot of it. While continuing to rise, the mountain has erected the cluster of its deposits and thus forms the Plateau de Lannemezan, head of a gigantic which puts its mark upon much of the southwest, up the Garonne at more than to the north. High up and submitted to the four winds, the site already assigns itself an identity that would assist in its history and reputation.

The soil is composed of uncultivated and barren land, dotted with woodlands, coppicing, cut of marshes and heath. The terrain is of limestone origin with a topsoil up to deep. Peat moor is exploited near La Barthe-de-Neste. Analysis of the soil in the commune of Lannemezan shows the results presented in the following table.

The plateau rises to over above sea level in the vicinity of Lannemezan. The top of the foothills face the Pyrenean part of the Neste Valley, the river which then turns east at the foot of the plateau. Other rivers (Gers, Baïse, etc.), flow radially from this point to the northwest, north and northeast, and the altitude of the plateau decreases gradually. On the south side, this plateau is still connected to the Pyrenean massif by a narrow tongue of land between Izaux and Avezac. Otherwise, it ends to the southwest and the southeast by a steep overhang and residual hills (Capvern, Mauvezin, etc.) facing the Pyrenees.

Natural vegetation

The natural vegetation of Lannemezan and its small region is characterised by a heathland landscape, although moisture of soils is highly variable depending on their location (particularly in relation to their proximity to water courses).

Thus, in wet areas near the rivers extend many bogs characterised by dwarf gorse (''Ulex minor''), St. John's wort (''Hypericum elodes L.'') marshes or wet meadows which extend Medusa's trumpets ('' Narcissus bulbocodium L.''), of oatgrass ('' Arrhenatherum longifolium'') or alder (''Alnus'').

In drier areas grow more woody species such as Pyrenean oak, also known under the name of tauzin oak ('' Quercus pyrenaica''), as well as pedunculated oak (''Quercus robur'') or chestnut (''Castanea sativa Mill'').

In all cases, the soils are rather acidic type with adjustable humidity, which imposes certain constraints for the development of plant species. These development constraints are represented on the adjoining humidity/acidity chart.

Hydrography

Eighteen rivers have their sources on the Plateau de Lannemezan or pass through the territory of the commune. The main are listed in the following table.

Natural risks and disasters

The commune is placed under supervision in relation to some possible natural and technological hazards:

*Flood
*Industrial risk
*Earthquake: Zone of seismicity 1B
*Transport of dangerous goods

Recent natural disasters on the commune are as follows, since 1980 (from most recent to oldest):

Location

General location:

Lannemezan is a bastide situated in the centre of the Plateau de Lannemezan between Tarbes and Toulouse on the Petite Baïse. Between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, at the outlet of the valleys of the Pyrenees, Lannemezan imposes itself as a privileged strategic its geographical position city.

Lannemezan is located at the east of the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées, from the border with Haute-Garonne to the east, from the border with Gers in the north and from the border with Spain to the south ().

Bordering communes

Spatially, Lannemezan is wedged between the following nine communes: Campistrous to the northwest, Clarens in the northeast, Capvern to the west, Uglas and Pinas to the east, Avezac-Prat-Lahitte in the southwest, La Barthe-de-Neste and Escala to the south, and Cantaous to the southeast.

Distance to some large French cities

The orientation and location of Lannemezan, compared to some large French cities, is given in the following table (distances are given as the fastest route by road):

Area

The city of Lannemezan has an area of , which is ranked:

Altitude

Changes in altitude are important on the territory of the commune. The minimum altitude is , the maximum altitude is . The average elevation is , and the Town Hall lies Meanwhile, .

Climate

Tarbes-Ossun weather station 'normals' reveal a rather cool climate, rainy in winter and hot and stormy in summer. The average annual temperature is relatively low for such latitude, with a fairly low seasonal amplitude, on average during the winter and during the summer. However, the winter temperature has reached a record low of in January 1985 and has also exceeded in midsummer. These high temperatures are typical of the foehn wind, due to the relief of the Pyrenees.

In Tarbes, fog and strong winds are rare. These climate characteristics of Tarbes are found in the north of the department, but with more fog in winter, and warmer daytime temperatures and lower precipitation in the summer. Conversely on the closer terrain the average quantities of precipitation increase. This varies greatly depending on exposure and slopes, but become abundant near the border ridges. The area between plain and mountain has a more humid climate and less sunny than the rest of the department. In the mountains the sun shines frequently above a sea of clouds and the wind blows stronger and more often than on the plain (breezes and sometimes very strong winds from the south).

The is characterised by a rainy and cool springtime, especially snowy at altitude; weather from the northwest is blocked by the relief and a phenomenon of precipitation at altitude has the consequence of strong accumulations of snow at altitude until mid-May. Summer is mild but stormy, autumn is generally sunny and pleasant, usually followed by a relatively mild winter on the plains and cold above .

Records of temperatures and precipitation are collected in the following table:

Sunshine and rainfall (since 1999)

Sunshine and precipitation values are visible in the following table:

Extreme temperatures and precipitation records (since 1999)

Records of temperatures and precipitation amounts, between 1999 and 2011, are listed in the following table:

Lannemezan climate according to the Köppen classification

According to the Köppen classification, the town of Lannemezan is located in the "Cfb" category:

The C (1st letter) expresses the climate: A temperate climate:

*The three coldest months average temperatures between and ( in Lannemezan)
*Average temperature of the hottest month above ( in Lannemezan)
*The seasons of summer and winter are well defined

The f (2nd letter) expresses the rainfall:

*Humid climate
*Precipitation every month of the year
*No dry season

The b (3rd letter) expresses the temperature variations: been temperate:

*Average temperature of the warmest month of less than or equal to ( in Lannemezan)
*Average temperatures of the four hottest months above ( in Lannemezan)

Channels of communication

Road Network

Lannemezan is a town in transition, served by many roads. The majority of these are in the north/south and east/west directions. Here are the details:

Rail network

Lannemezan is located on the Toulouse-Bayonne line. The SNCF Gare de Lannemezan is situated on ''Avenue de la Gare'', and is on the line from Toulouse to Bayonne, from the city centre. The previous station is that of Montréjeau-Gourdan-Polignan coming from Toulouse, the next station is that of Capvern. Another line ran from Lannemezan to Arreau-Cadéac station, but it is no longer in service. The different types of train currently serving Lannemezan station are:

A proposed central crossing of the Pyrenees, linking Toulouse to Zaragoza, is currently under development. This line would use the current Toulouse/Bayonne route, as far as Lannemezan. Lannemezan station would be a railway junction, from which a new line would join Spain, through a tunnel dug in the Aure Valley (at Hèches). This new line would bring relief to the other two traditional routes (by Hendaye

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