What is the average temperature in France?

NATIONAL weather service, Météo-France, has updated its calculations for the average temperature in France, increasing it to 12.97C.

Météo-France has said that it will draw on new readings from the period 1991-2020, as opposed to 1981-2010, to base future forecasts on and to study the impact of climate change on the country.

And it is this data that has shown an increase in the average temperature for France of 0.42C, up from 12.55C.

Every decade since 1970 has been warmer on average than the previous, with the period from 2011 to 2020 seeing an increase in average temperatures of 0.6C, the steepest rise since 1900.

Temperatures in French cities

An interesting comparison Météo-France has undertaken is to see what the climate of major cities of France is like now in comparison to 1970, saying that Strasbourg is now similar to Lyon, nearly 500 km further south and Lille is now similar to Rennes.

Average rainfall levels across France have remained stable from 1981 to 2010 and 1991 to 2020, although regional difference have been noted including the south experiencing more rain than usual and the north of France less.

With 2019 seeing temperatures hit 46C in the south of France, and 2020 the warmest year on record in France, being aware of what measures we can take to help tackle climate change seem to be increasingly important.