France Climate
Top 5 Cities: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, and Monaco
This month in numbers
France experienced its 5th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 13.94°C, marking an anomaly of +2.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, and the 4th warmest April overall when considering both land and ocean temperatures.
What changed
The period from February to April 2026 saw France record its 12th warmest such period on record, with an average temperature of 10.88°C, which is +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 average. This trend of warmer-than-average conditions aligns with the broader European picture, where April 2026 was the tenth warmest April on record for the continent. France's 1-month anomaly for April was 0.17°C warmer than the average for the entire Europe group.
What’s driving change?
The unusually warm conditions in France during April were influenced by a warm blocking ridge of high pressure over western Europe. This contributed to temperatures more typical of summer across parts of the country. The planet is currently in an ENSO-neutral state, but forecasts indicate a rapid transition to El Niño, with an 82% probability of its emergence in May-July 2026, rising to 98% by August-October 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Mediterranean region during summer months. /climate/enso
Looking ahead
Seasonal models predict that May will be wetter, stormier, and more changeable, with a return to more typical spring weather featuring sunshine mixed with showers and thunderstorms.
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.