France - weather in March

In March, the first month of spring, the weather in France is quite mild, a little cooler in the north and milder in the south.
At high altitudes, in the Alps, in the Pyrenees and on the peaks of other mountain ranges, however, it is still cold.

In the plains, the average daily temperature is 7/8 °C (45/46 °F) in the north-east, in Lorraine and Alsace (see Metz, Strasbourg), while it reaches up to 11/12 °C (52/54 °F) in the south, on the Mediterranean coast.

However, the weather in March is quite unstable, with possible temperature changes. On the one hand, sometimes cold air can still descend from the north, with possible snowfall and frost in the inland areas, especially in the first half of the month. On the other hand, in periods of good weather, the temperature can already reach and exceed 20 °C (68 °F), sometimes even in Paris, especially in the second half of the month.

Precipitation is frequent on the west coast, with a maximum in Brittany. In the rest of the country it is generally moderate. The least rainy area is, in the south, the Mediterranean coast (see Perpignan, Marseille, Nice).
In the mountains, precipitation is generally more abundant, and it still occurs in the form of snow. There are also mountain resorts where you can ski.

The sun shines for a good number of hours in the south (7 or more per day), while in the north, where the sky is often cloudy, it is seen more rarely.

France is a fairly windy country. In the north, in Upper France, Brittany and Normandy, and more rarely in the southwest, on the Bay of Biscay, the wind can blow from the Atlantic, sometimes in the form of a storm, while in the south, in the Rhone Valley and on the coast, the mistral and the tramontane can blow, cold and dry winds that flow into the Mediterranean.

During the month, the length of the days gradually increases. On March 20, the spring equinox, the day lasts 12 hours out of 24 all over the world.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of March in France in a selection of locations.

---

Monthly climate averages - March

(from north to south)



















See also: France, the weather in February - April
The climate of France