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Atlantic,
continental or Mediterranean, the French climate is remarkably
diverse. This short guide outlines the normal climatic factors in
different parts of France, and traditional French weather patterns
Other holiday planning pages....
Prepare your holiday in France, decide when and where to go, what to take with you, where to stay and how to get there.
Other holiday planning pages....
Prepare your holiday in France, decide when and where to go, what to take with you, where to stay and how to get there.
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Storm brewing over Nice
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Climate
and the weather in France
Five
day weather forecast for France
Bordered by four seas (the North Sea, the Channel,
the
Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean), by three mountain ranges (the
Alps, the Jura and the Pyrenees), and the edge of the central European
lowlands, France is a country with very diverse climatic conditions,
resulting in very different weather patterns. When visiting France, it
is often usful to consult the weather forecast! The variety of France's
weather patterns is further complicated by ongoing climate change and
global warming, which in recent years have lead to a surprising number
of unexpected and extreme weather conditions.Like many places on Earth, France has weather conditions that are strongly influenced by barometric pressure: low pressure tends to leave France open to the influence of the Atlantic airstream, bringing with it clouds and rain; but when a ridge of high pressure builds up over the heart of western Europe, a large part of France, sometimes even the whole country, can be protected from the prevailing westerlies under a vast covering of dry air, often accompanied by winds from the east.  In
short, the weather in France is determined by the balance of power
between oceanic weather systems from the west, and continental
anticyclones from the east. It is the differing relative influence of
these systems that determine the two main climate zones of France, and
within these two zones the different sub-zones.These zones can bee seen in the map on the left. In the western and north-western half of France, stretching from the Belgian border to the Pyrenees, the climate is generally oceanic, In Atlantic and northern regions, the influence of Atlantic weather systems is predominant;but further south and east, the influence of Atlantic weather systems diminishes. In practical terms, this means that these western areas of France benefit from a mild climate, with moderate rainfall possible at all times of the year. The "oceanic" area, and notably Brittany, jutting out into the Atlantic, has a particularly mild climate, but can be quite rainy even in summer months - though this is not always the case by any means. The semi-oceanic area, also called the intermediate area, has less rainfall particularly in summer, as it is more often under the influence of continental high-pressure systems. This band includes the great cereal growing regions of France, Champagne, the Beauce (south of Paris) and the Midi Pyrenees region, round Toulouse. The eastern side of France has a more continental climate, Apart from the mountain areas, it is generally drier than western France, with winters that are colder and summers that are hotter, for a given latitude, The south coast of France benefits from a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Mediteranean, generally drier than the rest of France, and without the cold winters of the rest of the continental climate zone. The climate of eastern and south-eastern France is particularly influenced by three famous winds, la Bise, le Mistral and le Tramontain. La Bise is the dry east wind that can blow over from central Europe; in winter it can be bitterly cold, in summer blisteringly hot. Blocked over France by the Atlantic weather systems and by the Massif Central mountains, la Bise is forced south and notably channeled down the Rhone valley towards Provence, where it becomes le Mistral. Le Mistral is thus a dry wind that can blow over central Provence for weeks on end, and in winter can be surprisingly cold. The wind that skirts round the Massif Central or blows over the top of it towards the Mediterranean is known as Le Tramontain. The microclimate of the Riviera: the extreme southeast of France, the area around Cannes, Nice and Monaco, benefits from its own microclimate; protected from the Mistral by the mass of the Alps, the climate on this narrow coastal plain is pure Mediterranean, with mild winters and warm summers. 
The mountain areas of France;
like all mountain areas, France's mountain areas have a cooler climate
than surrounding areas, with more precipitation. Since the wet winds in
France are those that come from the west or to a lesser extent from the
south, it is the southern and western sides of the mountain ranges that
are wetter. This is particularly the case with the Massif Central,
whose eastern half is drier. The Cevennes mountains, the south eastern
part of the Massif Central, are generally quit dry, but can receive
deluges of heavy rain if wet air moves up from the Mediterranean, which
happens most often in the Spring or Autumn.  During
summer, the upland areas of central southern France are generally warm
and sunny, but dramatic skies can brew up on sultry summer afternoons,
often developing into short but spectacular thunder storms. In the Pyrenees, it is the French side of this range, i.e the north eastern side, that is wetter than the Spanish side. This is because moist oceanic air is pulled through southwest France from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. In all the mountain areas of France, thunderstorms are a common feature in summer. Moving Boundaries: With the exception of the areas of mountain climate, which are determined largely by altitude and topography, the borderlines betwen the different climate zones of France are variable, and will move north and south, east and west, depending on the strength of conflicting weather systems. It is quite possible for the whole of France to come under the influence of the prevailing Atlantic westerlies, with their clouds and showers; conversely, though less often, the whole of France can be dominated by continental air masses, leaving hardly a cloud in the sky over the whole country. FRENCH WEATHER CHAOS IN RECENT
YEARS
Something is definitely happening to the climate; and the weather in France is reflecting the abnormalities that are affecting climate patterns worldwide. 2010 was remarkable for snowfalls in May and then again in December. 2011brought its surprises - not always very good surprises. Winter was really quite mild, with little snow falling in most parts of France, after the heavy snows of December 2010. Then Spring came early, very early in some parts, with mild and warm days setting in from early March in many regions. By the start of April, large parts of southern France were enjoying wall-to-wall sunshine with daytime temperatures up in the mid to high 20s. This marvellous spring weather continued - apart from a short dip in the middle of May - right through to early June. By then much of southwest France was reporting a rainfall deficit of up to 60% compared to seasonal averages, and the harvest of hay in the southern half of France was down by an equivalent measure, causing a crisis for livestock farmers throughout the area. Then the pendulum swung the other way, and during July most of France experienced cool cloudy weather with rain, thunderstorms and temperatures well below the seasonal average. Some regions recorded an average July temperature between 6° and 8° lower than average for the month - a remarkable variation. However, after the unusually damp July, the rest of 2011 was remarkably dry and warm throughout France. Incredibly, the average temperature in September 2011 was higher than the average temperature for July – an unprecedented climatic blip – and the average temperature for November was a full three degrees higher than the normal for the month - and the warmest November since records began. Fortunately some snow fell in mid December on most of the mountain ranges, but on lower slopes it soon melted again. 2012 was marked by an exceptionally could spell in mid February, lasting two weeks, that affected almost the whole country. For several days, virtually the whole of France lay under snow, and temperatures fell to below -10°C in much of southwest France, and considerably colder in more traditionally cold areas. In Paris, the lakes in the Bois de Boulogne froze solid, enough for people to walk on the ice (strictly forbidden, of course). Then, a month later, most of southern France enjoyed over a week in March with daytime temperatures in the high twenties - more like June - though June itself was remarkably damp and cool. Not so July, when several parts of southern France recorded afternoon temperatures over 40°C, with 43° being recorded in the middle of Clermont Ferrand at the hottest moment... To
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