Climate - Nice (France)

The climate of Nice is Mediterranean, with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers, sometimes sultry, but tempered by the breeze.
The city is located in the department of the Alpes-Maritimes, on the Mediterranean coast, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Italian border.
We are in the French Riviera proper, the one that does not receive the cold and dry wind from the north called Mistral (which blows in the Rhone river valley).
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 9 °C (48 °F), that of the warmest months (July, August) is of 23.5 °C (74 °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 10 mm (0.4 in) in the driest month (July) to 135 mm (5.3 in) in the wettest (October). Occasionally, rain can be intense and concentrated in a few hours, especially in September and October. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is mild, with sunny periods alternating with rainy periods.
Every now and then, when the wind blows from Russia, there can be cold waves as well.
On the coast, snow is very rare, and snowfalls with accumulation on the ground only occur in the coldest winters. In January 1985, even 38 cm (15 in) of snow fell, while other episodes were less remarkable (10 cm or 4 inches in February 1956 and February 1986, a few centimeters on 1 March 2005, in December 2009 and in February 2010). On the first hills of Nice, however, snow is a little more frequent.
Generally, in the coldest nights of the year, the temperature drops to around 0 °C (32 °F), however, on colder winters, it has dropped to lower values. The temperature dropped to -4.5 °C (24 °F) in February 1956, to -3.5 °C (25.5 °F) in January 1963, to -5 °C (23 °F) in March 1971, to -7 °C (19.5 °F) in January 1985, to -6 °C (21 °F) in February 1986, and to -2 °C (28.5 °F) in March 2005 and in January 2017.
Summer is hot and sunny, with very rare rains.
Nice is quite sheltered from the heat waves of African origin that have recently been affecting France, and generally the temperature does not go above 32/33 °C (90/91 °F) on the hottest days of the year. However, the temperature reached 35 °C (95 °F) in July 1983 and in August 2003, 38 °C (100.5 °F) in August 2006 (record), 37 °C (98.5 °F) in July 2015, 35.5 °C (96 °F) in August 2017, and 35 °C (95 °F) in late June 2019.



On average, there are around 2,720 sunshine hours per year: the city, like in general the south of France, is very sunny. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 13 °C (55 °F) and 23 °C (73 °F). The sea is therefore never very warm, but it becomes altogether acceptable for swimming in July and August. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Nice is the spring, from mid-April to mid-June. September is also a good month, but it is quite rainy. Summer, from mid-June to August, can be hot and muggy, even though it's the best time for those who also want to swim in the sea. Winter is generally mild, but it can sometimes get cold and it can rain.