and influenced by the Atlantic Ocean: it is quite cold in winter and pleasantly warm in summer. However, it has some continental characteristics too, so it can sometimes get very cold in winter and hot in summer.
The city is located in the west of France, in Poitou-Charentes, about 115 km (70 miles) north-east of La Rochelle.
, from December to February, the average temperatures are quite low: normally, the maximum temperatures are around 8/9°C (46/48 °F).
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.
, 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.
The coldest periods occur under the influence of cold air masses from Russia, which can lead to a few days of
.
In Poitiers, the temperature rarely drops to around -10 °C (14 °F), though this may happen on colder winters. The coldest record is -18 °C (-0.4 °F) and was set in January 1985.
season: the days are long, and the temperature generally lends itself to outdoor activities. However, the weather is
: 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).
Really hot days in Poitiers are quite rare, though sometimes they may occur because of hot air masses from Africa. In recent decades,
are becoming more frequent due to global warming. However, the highest record, 40.8 °C (105.4 °F), was set in July 1947. In 2022, the temperature reached 39 °C (102 °F) in June and 40 °C (104 °F) in July.
to visit Poitiers 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.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.1 °C, with a minimum of
2.1 °C and a maximum of
8.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-6 °C. However, it dropped to
-12.5 °C in January 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14 °C. However, it reached
16.2 °C in January 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 25% of the time.
The average humidity is 87%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.9 kph.
February is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.6 °C, with a minimum of
1.5 °C and a maximum of
9.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-13.2 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
23.4 °C in February 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.1 kph.
March is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
8.4 °C, with a minimum of
3.5 °C and a maximum of
13.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-13.1 °C in March 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
24.6 °C in March 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.9 °C, with a minimum of
5.4 °C and a maximum of
16.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.6 °C in April 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
29.3 °C in April 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14 kph.
May is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14.4 °C, with a minimum of
8.9 °C and a maximum of
20 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.2 °C in May 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28 °C. However, it reached
32.2 °C in May 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.9 kph.
June is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.9 °C, with a minimum of
12.1 °C and a maximum of
23.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
3.5 °C in June 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
38.3 °C in June 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 50 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 49% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
July is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20 °C, with a minimum of
13.8 °C and a maximum of
26.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
5.7 °C in July 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
40 °C in July 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
12.4 kph.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20 °C, with a minimum of
13.7 °C and a maximum of
26.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
8 °C. However, it dropped to
3.4 °C in August 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34.5 °C. However, it reached
39.6 °C in August 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
11.6 kph.
September is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.6 °C, with a minimum of
10.7 °C and a maximum of
22.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.8 °C in September 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C. However, it reached
35.4 °C in September 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.8 kph.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13 °C, with a minimum of
8.6 °C and a maximum of
17.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.5 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
30.2 °C in October 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 38% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
November is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
8.4 °C, with a minimum of
4.7 °C and a maximum of
12 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-10 °C in November 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
22.9 °C in November 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 11 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 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 87%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.4 kph.
December is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.6 °C, with a minimum of
2.4 °C and a maximum of
8.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-12.5 °C in December 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14.5 °C. However, it reached
19 °C in December 2000.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 25% of the time.
The average humidity is 88%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.