Climate - Lille (France)

The climate of Lille is oceanic, generally cool and wet, rainy and windy all year round, but especially in autumn and winter.
The city is located in the far north of France, in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, a short distance from the Belgian border. We are in French Flanders.
It is true that the climate is influenced by the Atlantic and the North Sea, but due to the distance from the sea (the North Sea is about 60 kilometers or 38 miles away), the climate is a little more continental than on the north coast of France, especially under the influence of continental air masses.
In winter, from December to February, the average temperatures are quite low: normally, the maximum temperatures are around 6/7 °C (43/45 °F).
When Atlantic currents prevail, the temperature can become mild and can even reach 13/14 °C (55/57 °F), but the weather in these cases is cloudy and rainy; in these periods, the wind blows frequently, and sometimes can be strong.
On the other hand, there can be cold periods due to northern currents, which are able to lower the temperature to the freezing point (0 °C or 32 °F) or a few degrees above; in these situations, the feeling of cold can be exacerbated by the wind.
The coldest periods occur under the influence of cold air masses from Russia, which can lead to a few days of snow, generally not abundant, and frost.
In Lille, the temperature rarely drops to around -10 °C (14 °F), though this may happen on colder winters. The temperature dropped to -18 °C (-0.5 °F) in February 1956, to -16 °C (3 °F) in January 1979, to -19 °C (-2 °F) in January 1982 and in January 1985, to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in January 1987, to -12.5 °C (9.5 °F) in January 1997, to -12 °C (10.5 °F) in February 2012, and to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in January 2013.
Summer, from June to August, is a mild or pleasantly warm season: the days are very long, and the temperature generally lends itself to outdoor activities. However, the weather is variable: there are some cool and rainy days due to Atlantic fronts, when the maximum temperature remains below 20 °C (68 °F), while on other occasions, the Azores High can bring a few hot and sunny days, with highs around 30 °C (86 °F).
Really hot days in Lille are quite rare, though sometimes they may occur because of hot air masses from Africa. In recent decades, heat waves are becoming more frequent due to global warming, although up here to the north, they are usually short lived. The temperature reached 36 °C (97 °F) in August 1990, 36.5 °C (97.5 °F) in August 2003, 35 °C (95 °F) in July 2015 and in August 2016, 37 °C (98.5 °F) in July 2018, 36 °C (97 °F) in August 2018, as high as 41.5 °C (106.5 °F) in July 2019 (record), 38 °C (100.5 °F) in July 2020, and 37 °C (98.5 °F) in August 2020.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 3.6 °C (38 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 18.6 °C (65 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 745 millimeters (29.3 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 45 mm (1.8 in) in the driest month (February) to 70 mm (2.8 in) in the wettest ones (July, November, December). Here is the average precipitation.

On average, there are around 1,620 sunshine hours per year. Along with Brittany, we are in one of the least sunny areas of France. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

The best time to visit Lille 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.