Climate - Calais (France)
Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
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Climate chart - Calais
The climate of Calais is oceanic, generally cool and wet, rainy and windy all year round, but especially in autumn and winter.
The city is located in the north-east of France, on the coast, in the Pas-de-Calais department and in the Hauts-de-France region. We are at the point (called Strait of Dover or Pas de Calais) where the distance from England is shortest. The Channel Tunnel starts near Calais, in Coquelles.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 4.9 °C (41 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 17.9 °C (64 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Calais - Average temperatures (1981-2010) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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| January | 2.4 | 7.4 | 4.9 | 36 | 45 | 40.8 |
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| February | 2.7 | 8.2 | 5.4 | 37 | 47 | 41.8 |
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| March | 3.9 | 10.4 | 7.2 | 39 | 51 | 44.9 |
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| April | 5.3 | 13.3 | 9.3 | 42 | 56 | 48.7 |
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| May | 8.4 | 16.4 | 12.4 | 47 | 62 | 54.3 |
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| June | 11 | 19.2 | 15.1 | 52 | 67 | 59.2 |
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| July | 13.2 | 21.7 | 17.4 | 56 | 71 | 63.4 |
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| August | 13.5 | 22.2 | 17.8 | 56 | 72 | 64.1 |
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| September | 11.2 | 19.3 | 15.2 | 52 | 67 | 59.4 |
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| October | 8.4 | 15.3 | 11.9 | 47 | 60 | 53.3 |
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| November | 5.5 | 10.9 | 8.2 | 42 | 52 | 46.8 |
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| December | 2.5 | 7.4 | 5 | 36 | 45 | 40.9 |
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| Year | 7.4 | 14.3 | 10.85 | 45.3 | 57.8 | 51.5 |
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Precipitation amounts to 725 millimeters (28.5 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 40 mm (1.6 in) in the driest months (March, April) to 90 mm (3.5 in) in the wettest (November). Here is the average precipitation.
Calais - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
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| January | 55 | 2.2 | 11 |
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| February | 45 | 1.8 | 9 |
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| March | 40 | 1.6 | 9 |
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| April | 40 | 1.6 | 9 |
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| May | 55 | 2.2 | 9 |
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| June | 55 | 2.2 | 9 |
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| July | 55 | 2.2 | 8 |
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| August | 65 | 2.6 | 8 |
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| September | 65 | 2.6 | 10 |
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| October | 85 | 3.3 | 12 |
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| November | 90 | 3.5 | 13 |
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| December | 75 | 3 | 12 |
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| Year | 725 | 28.5 | 119 |
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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.
The wind from the North Sea brings cold and unstable weather, though not freezing.
Cold waves from eastern Europe are a little less intense than in Paris and in the interior of France. Generally, the temperature does not drop below -6/-7 °C (19/21 °F) on the coldest days of the year, although it can sometimes drop to lower values. Over the past 10 years, the temperature dropped to -10.5 °C (13 °F) in February 2012, to -9 °C (16 °F) in January 2013, and to -8 °C (17.5 °F) in February 2018.
In summer, temperatures are mild or cool. It can also rain, but less often than in winter.
Hot days are rare: the temperature hardly reaches 25 °C (77 °F), and in the past, it used to reach a maximum of 28/29 °C (82/84 °F) on the warmest days of the year. Calais is quite sheltered from the heat waves that have been hitting France in recent decades due to global warming. However, short hot periods, usually just a day or two, cannot be ruled out. The highest record is 39.9 °C (103.8 °F) and was set in July 2022.
The sea temperature ranges between 7 °C (45 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). So, it never becomes warm for swimming. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Calais - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 7.5 | 46 | February | 7 | 44 | March | 7 | 45 | April | 8.5 | 47 | May | 11 | 52 | June | 13.5 | 57 | July | 16 | 61 | August | 18 | 64 | September | 17.5 | 63 | October | 15.5 | 60 | November | 12.5 | 54 | December | 9.5 | 49 | Year | 12 | 53.6 |
Best Time
The best time to visit Calais runs from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the mildest 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.
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