, with quite mild winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in the south-west of France, in the Occitania region, north of the Pyrenees and 50 km (30 miles) from the Mediterranean.
because it is located in one of the corridors (together with the Rhone valley, where the mistral blows from the north) through which the air masses of Atlantic origin flow into the Mediterranean (meteorologists call it "Carcassonne gate"). The "Tramontane" wind blows here from the west-north-west (because the air is channeled between the Black Mountain in the north and the Pyrenees in the south) and is locally called
(south of the Pyrenees, in Spain, the wind that blows in the Ebro valley is called
). Another wind, mild and humid, the "marin", can blow from the east.
, from December to February, is quite mild. When the westerlies prevail, Atlantic disturbances bring mild and rainy weather, sometimes windy: in these cases, the temperature can reach and even exceed, 15 °C (59 °F).
The most intense Atlantic depressions can bring strong winds.
On the other hand, when a high pressure area dominates, fog can form at night, and there may be slight frosts, while during the day the temperature becomes quite mild, and the sun can come out.
On the contrary, when the wind blows from Russia, there can be cold waves, with snowfalls, usually not abundant.
The temperature drops below -10 °C (14 °F) very rarely, and only during the coldest winters. The coldest record is -15 °C (5 °F) and was set in February 1963.
, there are periods with pleasant temperatures which lend themselves to outdoor activities, although sometimes there can be rains and thunderstorms. However, there are also hot and sultry periods, in which the daytime temperature reaches or exceed 32 °C (90 °F).
At times, heat waves can occur, which in recent years are becoming more frequent due to global warming, and in which the temperature can exceed 35 °C (95 °F). The highest record is 43 °C (109.5 °F) and was set in August 2023.
To visit Carcassonne, you can choose the months of May and September. In summer, sometimes the heat is bearable, while at other times, especially from late June to late August, it can be intense.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
6.8 °C, with a minimum of
3.5 °C and a maximum of
10 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.7 °C in January 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16 °C. However, it reached
20.1 °C in January 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.1 kph.
February is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.5 °C, with a minimum of
3.6 °C and a maximum of
11.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C. However, it dropped to
-9.1 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
25.2 °C in February 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.4 kph.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.4 °C, with a minimum of
5.9 °C and a maximum of
15 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.5 °C in March 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22.5 °C. However, it reached
25.9 °C in March 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 46% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.1 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.9 °C, with a minimum of
8.1 °C and a maximum of
17.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2 °C. However, it dropped to
-0.9 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
30.1 °C in April 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 46% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.1 kph.
May is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.5 °C, with a minimum of
11.6 °C and a maximum of
21.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
1 °C in May 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29 °C. However, it reached
35.2 °C in May 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.1 kph.
June is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.5 °C, with a minimum of
15.1 °C and a maximum of
25.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
6.1 °C in June 2019.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
39.8 °C in June 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
17 kph.
July is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
23 °C, with a minimum of
17.3 °C and a maximum of
28.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
9.3 °C in July 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
38.7 °C in July 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 59% of the time.
The average humidity is 62%.
The average wind speed is of
16.9 kph.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
23.2 °C, with a minimum of
17.3 °C and a maximum of
29 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
8.3 °C in August 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
41.9 °C in August 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 60% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average wind speed is of
15.8 kph.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19.4 °C, with a minimum of
14.1 °C and a maximum of
24.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7.5 °C. However, it dropped to
5.1 °C in September 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C. However, it reached
35.2 °C in September 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 68%.
The average wind speed is of
15.4 kph.
October is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.6 °C, with a minimum of
11.4 °C and a maximum of
19.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.3 °C in October 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
30.7 °C in October 1997.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.1 kph.
November is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.4 °C, with a minimum of
6.9 °C and a maximum of
13.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.8 °C in November 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
25.6 °C in November 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.4 kph.
December is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.4 °C, with a minimum of
4.2 °C and a maximum of
10.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.1 °C in December 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
19.8 °C in December 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.3 kph.