Climate - Caen (France)

The climate of Caen is oceanic, generally cool and wet, rainy and windy all year round, but especially in autumn and winter. However, there may also be sunny days, especially in summer.
The city is located in the north of France, a few kilometers from the coast of the English Channel, in Normandy.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 5.3 °C (42 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 18 °C (64 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 740 millimeters (29.1 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 50 mm (2 in) in the driest months (February, April, August) to 80 mm (3.1 in) in the wettest ones (October, December). Here is the average precipitation.

Winter is a bit milder than in the rest of northern France, because ocean currents prevail. On the other hand, the sky is often cloudy, the humidity is high and there are periods when the wind blows moderate or strong. Rainfall is frequent.
Sometimes, there may be cold periods, in which the temperature is close to freezing, and even snow can fall.
Cold waves are a little less intense than in Paris and in the interior of France, however, they are a little more intense than in Brittany. The temperature dropped to -15 °C (5 °F) in January 1979, -19 °C (-2 °F) in January 1985, -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 1986, -12 °C (10.5 °F) in January 1987, -11.5 °C (11.5 °F) in February 1991, -12 °C (10.5 °F) in January 1997, and -10 °C (14 °F) in January 2007 and in February 2012.
In summer, temperatures are mild or cool. It can also rain, but less often than in winter.
Hot days are rare: generally, the temperature reaches 31/32 °C (88/90 °F) on the warmest days of the year. Caen is marginally affected by the heat waves that are recently hitting France more frequently due to global warming. However, short hot periods, maybe just a day or two, cannot be ruled out. The temperature reached 39 °C (102 °F) in August 2003, 35.5 °C (96 °F) in July 2015, 36 °C (97 °F) in July 2016, 35 °C (95 °F) in June 2017 and in July 2018, as high as 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in July 2019 (record), 35.5 °C (96 °F) in July 2020, and 37 °C (98.5 °F) in August 2020.



On average, there are around 1,700 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 8 °C (46 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). So, it never becomes warm for swimming. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Caen runs from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the warmest and sunniest period of the year. Sometimes, nights can be cool or even a little cold even in these months, so it can be useful to bring a sweatshirt or sweater and a light jacket for the evening.