GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

Climatological Information for Paris

Month Mean Temperature oC Mean Total Rainfall (mm) Mean Number of Rain Days Daily Minimum Daily Maximum Jan -8.5 -2.6 43.9 10 Feb -9.3 -2.9 34.0 8 Mar -5.6 1.1 35.3 8 Apr -0.7 7.5 35.7 7 May 4.4 15.5 35.1 6 Jun 9.3 19.8 49.2 8 Jul 11.8 21.8 68.8 9 Aug 10.7 19.9 77.7 11 Sep 6.1 14.0 69.4 11 Oct 2.2 8.1 74.5 11 Nov -2.4 2.5 69.2 12 Dec -6.6 -0.8 57.0 12 The climate of metropolitan France is temperate, influenced by moderating Westerly winds, with marked regional and local variations. Its topology defines six main climatic areas: the northwest quarter of the country is characterized by mild temperatures, low thermal amplitude and relatively high rainfall; south of it, the Aquitaine/Brittany area, has higher temperatures; north-east, the area of Lorraine, has semi-continental climate, with cold winters and lower rainfall than the west; along the Mediterranean Sea, the area of Provencal, ischaracterized by abundant sunshine, hot summers and dry ,mild and wet winters; between Provence and Lorraine, the Danubian area, serves as the transition zone, with a high thermal amplitude; the mountain area, which corresponds to regions of high altitude, is characterized by cold and wet winters, with significant snowfall. Much of Overseas France , however, is subject to tropical climates (with large variations), which must be added the exceptions of Guyana (equatorial climate), of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (oceanic climate) and the French Southern and Antarctic lands (polar and oceanic climate). Metropolitan France is experiencing the effects significant weather events: storms (those of December 1999, wereby 7% of the trees in French forests were distroyed), heat waves (the 2003 European heatwave caused 15,000 deaths), fire and flooding. The average temperature in France has risen by 0.1o C per decade during the 20th century.

NOTE: The information regarding France on this page is re-published from Wikipedia and World Meteorological Organization.