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COTE D'AZUR
Climate and Weather

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Climate and weather

The mild climate has made the Côte d'Azur famous. The average temperature is 16 °C. During the hot summer months, the temperature can rise to over 30°C in the shade, but there is always a light sea breeze that keeps the heat bearable. The water temperature in summer reaches values of up to 25°C. November, February, March and often April are the rainiest months. The transition from summer to autumn is often accompanied by heavy thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. However, the rains usually do not last long. Also in spring, there are often short but heavy showers.

Winters on the Côte d'Azur are generally very mild, ice and snow are rare. Nevertheless, only two hours away from the coast there are ski resorts like Isola 2000 (2450 m), Pra-Loup (1500 m), Barcelonette (1300 m), Vallée de l'Ubaye and Valberg. In January, the average temperature in Nice is 8°C, but the sun can raise the temperature to around 20°C. The mild winters are caused by: the rather southern latitude, the proximity of the sea, which limits large temperature fluctuations, the location right to the south and the mountains, which protect the region from cold winds.

A well-known phenomenon in spring, especially west of Toulon, is the mistral, an icy dry wind from the north. Its counterpart is the North African southerly wind sirocco, which comes directly from the African Sahara and can produce unbearable heat in summer.

Menton and Beaulieu-sur-Mer are the warmest places in France and have about 300 days of sunshine a year. The average temperature is about four degrees higher than in Nice thanks to the shelter of the mostly olive-covered mountain slopes. This is a microclimate where the temperature never drops below 5 °C.

Average daytime temperature

January 12.2°C
February 11.9°C
March 14.2°C
April 18,5°C
May 20,8°C
June 26,6°C
July 28,1°C
August 28,4°C
September 25,2°C
October 22,2°C
November 16,8°C
December 14,1°C


Sources

Booren, R. van den / Côte d'Azur
ANWB

Côte d’Azur
Kosmos Reisgidsen

Côte d'Azur, Monaco
Lannoo

Simon, K. / Côte d'Azur
ANWB

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated March 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info