Climate
The city's location under the rain shadow of the Chaîne des Puys confers to Clermont-ferrand one of the driest climates in metropolitan France, except for a few locations around the Mediterranean Sea. The mountains are also blocking most of the oceanic influence from the Atlantic, which creates a climate way more continental than nearby cities west ou north of the mountains, like Limoges or Montluçon. Hence, comparatively cold winters and hot summers. From november to march, frost is very frequent, and the city being at the bottom of a valley, is frequently subject to temperatures inversion, where the mountains are sunny and warm, and the plain is freezing cold and cloudy. Snow is pretty common, although usually short-lived and thin. Summer temperatures exceeds frequently 35°C, with sometimes violent thunderstorms.
| Climate data for Clermont Ferrand | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.2 (46.8) |
16.30 (61.34) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
0.5 (32.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
7.1 (44.8) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.7 (33.3) |
6.10 (42.98) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 28.7 (1.13) |
26.8 (1.055) |
26.4 (1.039) |
44.6 (1.756) |
85.3 (3.358) |
64.4 (2.535) |
53.6 (2.11) |
67.2 (2.646) |
64.3 (2.531) |
53.1 (2.091) |
38.1 (1.5) |
33.3 (1.311) |
585.8 (23.063) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 91 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) | |||||||||||||
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