Some cities in France are known for their pleasant weather, others for their terrible weather. Discover the ranking of the cities where it rains the most. And contrary to popular belief, not all of them are in Brittany!
THISYes, autumn is well established! The days are getting shorter, the sun is rarer, and temperatures are dropping sharply. It’s time to bring out the sweaters, the big down jackets, the scarves, the hats and, above all, the umbrellas to face this change of season. As it becomes increasingly difficult to escape the gray surroundings, some regions are submerged in rain. It’s not easy to keep your morale up in these conditions! Some cities are known for being particularly rainy, and suffice to say that it’s not for everyone!
Obviously, when we talk about precipitation, we immediately think of Brittany! However, it happens that the weather is nice several times a day! But the title of the rainiest city in France is not based solely on subjective impressions or popular sayings, but on precise data. Two rankings were made to determine which one won the title. The first is based on Météo France data collected between 1991 and 2021 while the second is based on a study by Holidu, a tourist site which uses data from World Weather Online.
According to the results of Météo France, it is Biarritz which obtains the palme d’or, with no less than 1,470 mm of rain per year. This is because the city is subject to oceanic influences, which bring precipitation, especially in autumn and winter. It is followed very closely by Brest, with 1,230 mm per year. On the other hand, it is the city where it rains most often, with an average of 159 days out of 365, or 18 days more than in Biarritz. Next come Besançon, Tarbes, Limoges, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Lorient, Bordeaux, Grenoble and Montélimar, which closes this top 10.
The ranking produced by Holidu is significantly different, since it only takes into account cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. Obviously, this is already a first sort! It is then Grenoble which wins the palme d’or, with around 9 days of rain per month and 5.5 mm of precipitation per day. It is followed by Annecy, Lyon, Mulhouse, Bayonne, Pau, Saint-Étienne, Bourges, Villeneuve-d’Ascq and Limoges.
Beyond the cities, certain regions are particularly humid. This is the case on the western slopes of mountain ranges, such as the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, because of the reliefs which force the humid air to rise, then to descend, releasing its water in the form of rain. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is officially the rainiest in France!
If you are allergic to rain, choose cities with a drier climate, such as Marseille, which only records an average of 515 mm of annual precipitation, or Perpignan, which displays similar data thanks to the Mediterranean climate. . Better bring sunscreen!