Today's weather for Paris, France25th Jul 2008 20:30

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Weather Overview for Paris

Paris has a temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters. There is a marked difference between the seasons but extreme hot or cold temperatures are rare. Rainfall is moderate and steady year round. The city is known for its sudden rain showers, although its annual average rainfall is low compared with other regions in France.

Summer Weather:

Summer is generally warm in Paris, with the occasional heat wave. Peak summer is July and August and daytime highs are regularly in the mid-20s. Temperature wont fall much below the mid-teens at night.

Rain is moderate in summer, and you should expect the occasional downpour at any time. The rain can often arrive quickly and unexpectedly in summer. The summer months average about 60mm of rainfall. In terms of days, expect about 12 days in the month to have some rainfall on average.

This means summer sees slightly more rain on average than the rest of the year, but fewer rainy days. This is due to the fact that summer rain generally falls in heavy showers – don’t be caught out without your brolly!

Paris, as with the rest of France, often experiences a summer heat wave where temperature can rise into the 30s. Paris can feel uncomfortable when the temperature rises this high. During the famous 2003 heat wave across Europe, temperatures in Paris touched 40°C.

In short, you should be warm in Paris in summer but be prepared for some rain and the odd cool evening.

Autumn Weather:

Autumn is a time of change. The summer weather quickly gives way to winter.

The weather is still warm in September but starts to cool quite quickly and by November its getting chilly.

You can get sunny September days with temperatures in the low to mid 20s. But come November, don’t expect the temperature to climb much above 10°C.

Rainfall in autumn is much the same as at the rest of the year, with a monthly average of around 50mm. There is slightly more rain in the early part of autumn.

Autumn is beautiful time in Paris as the parks and tree lined avenues turn golden.

Winter Weather:

Winters are quite cold in Paris; January, the coldest month on average, sees highs of 6°C and lows of 1°C.

Snowfall is sometimes seen in Paris, though it is not common. The effects of the city – heated buildings, cars etc – mean that temperatures are often one or two degrees warmer than outside the city. This is known as the ‘urban heat island effect’.

When snow does fall, Paris looks truly beautiful, as indeed it does on any clear crisp winters day.

Temperatures don’t regularly drop much into the minus, but rather hover around that level.

Rain is again an around 50mm per month, though you’ll get a few more grey drizzly days in winter, rather than the short sharp showers of summer.

Spring Weather:

The cold winter weather gives way to blossoming flowers, warmer temperatures and longer days. March signals the arrival of change as temperatures once again regularly climb into double figures.

Evenings in early spring can still be chilly but by May the weather is much more summer like, with the arrival of sunny days in the 20s.

Early spring has statistically the lowest rainfall of the year, but in truth you should always be aware of the possibility of showers.

The weather averages only tell you a general story of what weather to expect; in reality you can get a cool, wet summer period or a particularly mild winter. Weather from year to year is different. There is not much ‘freak weather’ that threatens Paris, but the summer of 2003 saw just what a big effect the weather can have, with a heat wave killing many elderly.

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