, 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).
Occasionally, rain can be intense and concentrated in a few hours, especially in September and October.
, 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.
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 coldest record is -7 °C (19.5 °F) and was set in January 1985.
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 highest record is 37.7 °C (99.9 °F) and was set in August 2006.
The city, like in general the south of France, is very sunny.
is never very warm, but it becomes altogether acceptable for swimming in July and August.
, 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.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9.6 °C, with a minimum of
5.8 °C and a maximum of
13.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-2.1 °C in January 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17.5 °C. However, it reached
22.5 °C in January 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of
16.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
13.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9.8 °C, with a minimum of
6.1 °C and a maximum of
13.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.3 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18 °C. However, it reached
23.3 °C in February 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
15.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
13.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.9 °C, with a minimum of
8.3 °C and a maximum of
15.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.7 °C in March 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
26.1 °C in March 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
14.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
13.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14.1 °C, with a minimum of
10.8 °C and a maximum of
17.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4.5 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22 °C. However, it reached
25.7 °C in April 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%.
The average wind speed is of
14.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.8 °C, with a minimum of
14.6 °C and a maximum of
21 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6 °C in May 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
29.3 °C in May 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
June is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.4 °C, with a minimum of
18.2 °C and a maximum of
24.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14 °C. However, it dropped to
10.4 °C in June 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
35.6 °C in June 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 25 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 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
July is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
24.2 °C, with a minimum of
20.8 °C and a maximum of
27.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
14.6 °C in July 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
37 °C in July 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
10 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 75% of the time.
The average humidity is 68%.
The average wind speed is of
11.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.9 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
24.5 °C, with a minimum of
21.1 °C and a maximum of
27.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
15.1 °C in August 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
37.7 °C in August 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
12.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.2 °C, with a minimum of
17.7 °C and a maximum of
24.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
9.4 °C in September 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C. However, it reached
33.6 °C in September 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
72 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 65% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
13.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
October is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.5 °C, with a minimum of
14 °C and a maximum of
21 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
5.2 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
28.5 °C in October 1997.
Precipitation amounts to
135 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
19.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
November is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.4 °C, with a minimum of
9.7 °C and a maximum of
17 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.1 °C in November 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
25.4 °C in November 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
16.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.4 °C, with a minimum of
6.6 °C and a maximum of
14.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.6 °C in December 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
20.9 °C in December 1993.
Precipitation amounts to
95 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 0 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
17.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.