France - weather in September

In September, the first autumn month, the weather in France is quite cool on the northern coast, while in Paris and in most of the country it is very mild or pleasantly warm. In the far south-east, on the Mediterranean coast, the weather is often still warm and sunny.
However, temperatures gradually decrease, while rainfall becomes more frequent, with the first waves of autumnal bad weather that, especially in the second half of the month, can also hit the southern Mediterranean, sometimes causing floods.

The average daily temperature is 15/16 °C (59/61 °F) on the north coast (Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Brittany), and 16.5 °C (62 °F) in Paris, while it reaches 20/21 °C (68/70 °F) in the south-east, on the Mediterranean coast (see Perpignan, Marseille, Nice) and in Corsica.
Especially at the beginning of the month, temperatures can still exceed 30 °C (86 °F) in the center-south. On the other hand, at night it can get a bit cold in the center-north, in fact night temperatures can drop to 5 °C (41 °F) or a little lower.

The rainfall increases compared to previous months in the south, even though it remains quite rare, while in the north, where it was quite frequent even in summer, it remains more or less at the same level. In the Alps, thunderstorms can still occur on sunny days, though less often than in previous months.

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, 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.

The sea is cold for swimming on the north coast (Normandy and Brittany), with a temperature of 17 °C (63 °F), while on the west coast, the Atlantic is very cool, but at least reaches 20 °C (68 °F) at La Rochelle and 20.5 °C (69 °F) at Biarritz. In the south, the Mediterranean Sea is milder, from 21 °C (70 °F) in Montpellier and Marseille (where it is cooled by the mistral), to 22 °C (72 °F) in Nice, to 23 °C (73 °F) in Corsica, where it can still be considered warm enough for swimming.

During the month, the length of the days gradually decreases. On September 22, the autumn equinox, the day lasts 12 hours out of 24 all over the world.

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

---

Monthly climate averages - September

(from north to south)



















See also: France, the weather in August - October
The climate of France