Climate - Orleans (France)

The climate of Orléans is temperate and influenced by the Atlantic Ocean: it is quite cold but not freezing in winter and pleasantly warm in summer. However, it has some continental characteristics too, so it can sometimes be very cold in winter and hot in summer.
The city is crossed by the Loire River and is located in north-central France, in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 3.9 °C (39 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 19.4 °C (67 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 640 millimeters (25.2 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 45 mm (1.8 in) in the driest months (February, March, June) to 65 mm (2.6 in) in the wettest ones (May, October). Here is the average precipitation.

In winter, from December to February, the average temperatures are quite low: normally, the maximum temperatures are around 6/8 °C (43/46 °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 north or north-east 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, which blows moderate, usually from the northeast.
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 Orléans, the temperature rarely drops to around -10 °C (14 °F), though this may happen on colder winters. The temperature dropped to -20 °C (-4 °F) in January 1940, to -18 °C (-0.5 °F) in January 1985, to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 1986, to -15 °C (5 °F) in January 1987, to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 1991, to -12 °C (10.5 °F) in December 1996, to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in March 2005, to -14 °C (7 °F) in January 2009, to -16.5 °C (2.5 °F) in February 2012, and to -12.5 °C (9.5 °F) in February 2018.
Summer, from June to August, is a 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 some hot and sunny days, maybe a little sultry, with highs around or even above 30 °C (86 °F); in these cases, some thunderstorms can erupt in the afternoon.
Really hot days in Orléans 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. The temperature reached 37 °C (98.5 °F) in August 1990, 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) in August 1998, 40 °C (104 °F) in August 2003, 37 °C (98.5 °F) in June 2011, 38 °C (100.5 °F) in July 2015, 37 °C (98.5 °F) in August 2016, in June 2017 and in June 2019, 41 °C (106 °F) in July 2019 (record), 37 °C (98.5 °F) in July 2020, and 39 °C (102 °F) in August 2020.



On average, there are around 1,770 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

The best time to visit Orléans runs from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the warmest and sunniest period of the year. Sometimes, it can be hot in July and August, while in other circumstances, 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.