Besançon climate — normals and trends
Besançon (France) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.7 °C and it receives 1,157 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (19.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (2.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Besançon averages 57 frost days, 10 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 156 rainy days per year.
Besançon has warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.25 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 70 to 44 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.5 °C (on 25 July 2019) and the coldest -21.4 °C (on 9 January 1985).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BesançonBourgogne
- coords
- 47.25°, 6.02°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.7°C
Average daily high
14.7°C
Average daily low
7.0°C
Annual rainfall
1,157mm
Sunshine / day
8.4h
Mean relative humidity
75%
Average peak wind
15.5km/h
Seasonal range
17.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
57 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
10 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
156 d/yr
Annual snowfall
53.9 cm
Average feels-like high
12.7 °C
Average feels-like low
4.6 °C
Average peak gust
34.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
3 d/yr
Solar radiation
12.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.1 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.48 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.5 °C
25 July 2019
Coldest day
-21.4 °C
9 January 1985
Wettest day
65 mm
8 May 1985
Windiest day
55.5 km/h
26 December 1999
Strongest gust
133.9 km/h
26 December 1999
Hottest feels-like
40.7 °C
26 June 2019
Coldest feels-like
-26.3 °C
10 February 1956
Snowiest day
21.0 cm
4 March 2006
Sunniest day
15.0 h
9 July 2019
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.5 °C | +2.7 °C | 120 mm | +14 mm |
| Feb | 8.9 °C | +2.2 °C | 65 mm | -33 mm |
| Mar | 13.3 °C | +2.4 °C | 50 mm | -44 mm |
| Apr | 17.7 °C | +3.1 °C | 92 mm | -1 mm |
| May | 19.8 °C | +1.3 °C | 73 mm | -35 mm |
| Jun | 27.0 °C | +4.9 °C | 81 mm | -12 mm |
| Jul | 25.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 80 mm | +6 mm |
| Aug | 26.9 °C | +2.8 °C | 96 mm | +13 mm |
| Sep | 19.9 °C | -0.5 °C | 151 mm | +63 mm |
| Oct | 15.4 °C | +0.1 °C | 149 mm | +57 mm |
| Nov | 10.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 137 mm | +21 mm |
| Dec | 8.5 °C | +3.0 °C | 48 mm | -66 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Besançon?
Besançon has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.7 °C and it receives 1,157 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Besançon?
The hottest day measured in Besançon between 1940 and 2025 was 25 July 2019, reaching 39.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Besançon?
The coldest day measured in Besançon between 1940 and 2025 was 9 January 1985, at -21.4 °C.
Does it snow in Besançon?
Yes. Besançon gets on average 53.9 cm of snow per year and has around 57 frost days.
Has the climate of Besançon warmed?
Yes: Besançon warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Besançon?
The wettest day measured in Besançon between 1940 and 2025 was 8 May 1985, with 65 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Besançon?
The windiest day measured in Besançon between 1940 and 2025 was 26 December 1999, with winds reaching 55.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Besançon?
The warmest month in Besançon is July (19.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (2.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Besançon?
Besançon receives on average 1,157 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 156 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Besançon?
Besançon gets on average 8.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,066 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Besançon?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Besançon between 1940 and 2025 was 4 March 2006, with 21.0 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Besançon?
Yes: Besançon has on average 3 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Besançon?
In Besançon, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.7 °C on 26 June 2019, and the lowest was -26.3 °C on 10 February 1956.
Compare Besançon with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Besançon