Picardy is a region in northern France that covers an area of land measuring 19,399 square kilometres and is home to a population of about 1,890,000 people. The prefecture (regional capital) is the city of Amiens. Picardy incorporates many different types of terrains, climates, and environments. It is home to the Somme estuary, where the Somme River meets the English Channel and produces long sandy beaches, as well as large forests and pastures in east and vineyards further south, closer to Burgundy and Paris.
Climate
Picardy is typified by the oceanic climate that encapsulates northern France, with a fair amount of precipitation and moderate seasons. Winters are quite cool throughout the region, but only very rarely does the mercury drop below freezing. Summer is quite warm, with most cities in Picardy hitting their apex in temperature in July or August, but still it does not get very hot, with average maximums usually between 22 to 25 degrees Celsius. Precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. Wind speeds are higher near the coast and considerably lower in the flat-lying and forest-shielded areas of the interior. There is a significant variation in the number of daylight hours in Picardy throughout the year. In the dead of winter there are as little as 8 daylight hours, but that number is about doubled in the summer, with June seeing an average of 16 sunshine hours.
Spring
In Picardy, April experiences a significant degree of temperature variation. Averages at the start of the month are often two to three degrees lower than the average at the end of the month. Amiens normally averages out to 8.5C, with highs of 12.6 and lows of 4.5C. Creil, about 105 kilometres south-east of Amiens, just north-east of the Parisian metropolitan area, has averages that are about one degree higher; 9.8C, a high of 14.5C, and lows of 5.1C. There are 13 daylight hours at the beginning of the month and 14.5 at the end. There are about 9 rainy days throughout most of Picardy in April, delivering an average of 48.2 mm of precipitation. The average wind speed over the month is about 16 kilometres.
In May, temperatures and sunlight continue to increase in Picardy. Foreste, which lies about 92 kilometres north-east of Creil, has an average temperature of 12.6C, with highs of 20C and lows of 10C. 65 kilometres to the east, Laigny, near the Belgian border, has a normal of 12.6C, highs of 17.5C, and lows of 7.8C. 11 rainy days can be expected in May.
The end of spring brings slightly warmer temperatures and plenty of sunlight. Every day in June experiences more than 16 hours of daylight. Amiens has an average daily temperature of 14.6C, with normal lows around 10.5C and highs of 19C. 10 days of rain is usually normal, though Creil gets a couple less days of precipitation, with an average of 8 days every June.
Summer
As summer hits full swing, July brings warmth and sun to the region of Picardy. The amount of daylight is about 16 hours per day and 8 days of rain on average. Both Foreste and Laigny enjoy average temperatures of 17.4C, with highs of 22.7C and lows of 12C. July has some the lowest wind speeds of the year, with a regular of about 13 kilometres an hour.
In August the number of daylight hours drops from just over 15 at the beginning of the month to 13 and a half by monthâs end. Despite this, however, August is in some respects the sunniest month in Picardy, because it is usually the month that experiences the least amount of cloud cover. As a result, August also has the least amount of precipitation of any summer month, with about 55.7 mm of rainfall. This month also has the lowest wind speed, 12.5 kilometres per hour. Creil provides some of the hottest weather for tourists to bask in, with averages of 19C, highs of 24.7C, and lows of 13.2C.
September, like August, has a relatively small amount of cloud cover and 9 to 10 rainy days. Amiens has a mean temperature of 14.7C for the month, with expected lows of 10.5C and highs of nearly 19C. Creil is a bit warmer, with an average of 15.7C, lows of 10.6c, and highs of nearly 21C. The amount of daylight hours remains around 14.
Autumn
Foreste, like the rest of Picardy, begins to
cool down in October, with a mean temperature of 10.6C, a standard high of
14.5C, and a regular low of 6.7C. The number of sunshine hours decreases from
11.5 at the beginning of October, to 10 by the end.
The normal temperature for Laigny in November is 6C, with highs of 9C, and lows of 3C. Creil is a bit warmer, with an average temperature of 7.2C, with regular highs and lows of 10.3C and 4C, respectively. Sunlight hours go from just over 9.5 at the start of November to 8.5 at the end. The number of rainy days varies from 9 to 12 throughout the region.
The end of the year brings a good deal of cloud cover.
December is also relatively rainy, with about 62 mm of rain falling over about
11 days. The mean December temperature in Amiens
is 4.8C, with a regular high of 7C and a low of 2.6C.
Winter
The New Year blows into Picardy with the highest average wind speeds of the year, nearly 20 kilometres an hour. January is also usually the cloudiest month of the year, though oddly enough, there is not that much precipitation; only 51mm. The number of daylight hours creeps up from 8 to 9 over the month. The mean temperature in Foreste is 2.8C, with a high of 5.2C, and a low of just above freezing at 0.4C.
February is the driest month in Picardy, delivering 41.4 mm of precipitation, usually over 9 rainy days. The average wind speed is about 18.5 kilometres per hour throughout the month. Both Laigny and Foreste experience average temperatures of 3.5C, lows of 0.5C, and highs of 6.5C.
March usually experiences the same wind speeds as February, along with 10 to 11 rainy days. Amiens has a mean temperature of 6.6C, highs of 10C, and lows of 3.3C.