France Climate
Top 5 Cities: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Nice
This month in numbers
France experienced its 5th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 13.94°C, a significant +2.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The period of February to April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record globally for land temperatures, at +1.2°C above average.
What changed
The past three months (February–April 2026) saw France record an average temperature of 10.88°C, which is +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 12th warmest such period on record. This follows a trend of consistently warmer-than-average months, with February and March also registering anomalies of +1.4°C and +1.6°C respectively. France's April anomaly of +2.65°C placed it 77th out of 234 regions globally for the month, and within Europe, it was 0.17°C warmer than the group average.
What’s driving change?
The warmer conditions in France are being influenced by , with winters consistently warming faster. Additionally, the current ENSO state is Neutral, with a strong probability of transitioning to El Niño in the coming months, reaching a 79% likelihood by June-August. While the current Neutral state means muted ENSO influence, a developing El Niño typically brings warmer and drier summers to the Mediterranean region, which could amplify heatwave and wildfire risks. France has also experienced significant flooding recently, with one flood event recorded between 27 April and 4 May 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for floods in the past 12 months, an unusual concentration. This follows a period of prolonged and heavy rainfall since the beginning of 2026 due to a succession of low-pressure systems from the Atlantic, leading to some areas being under flood alerts for 30 consecutive days. In February 2026, France also experienced record-breaking warm temperatures, with some areas seeing temperatures near 30°C, breaking long-standing February records. This unseasonal warmth was followed by Storm Nils in mid-February, which brought heavy rainfall and significant flooding to parts of southwest France, cutting power to nearly a million households and causing three fatalities.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for France
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in France changing?
France is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for France come from?
Climate data for France comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the France climate data cover?
The France climate profile covers Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for France
How often is the France climate update refreshed?
The France climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.