The Cers is a dry and clear northwest or north wind. Cold and rain bearing at times in winter, clearing coastal skies in spring it will be hot and dry in summer. Its gusts frequently reach wind speeds up to
10 Beaufort and can be quite violent.
Similar to the formation of the Tramontane and Mistral in other regions the Cers is the local name for a katabatic wind draining off the area between the Pyrenees and the Montagnes Noire. The Cers is very frequent across the Aude region in south-western France, blowing at sustained wind speeds greater than 20 knots for a total of about 200 days per year.
The Cers is originating from moist Atlantic air-masses flowing across the Toulouse area and becoming intensified through the Lauragais gap, before it is violently felt at the Narbonne area. Exceptionally red sunsets and lenticularis clouds are usually heralding the onset of the Cers. In winter it might persist for more than a week.
Its coastal counterpart is the Marin, a humid south-east wind associated to a warm front passage across the Iberian Peninsula and the Autan more inland.