Besançon climate
Besançon (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 1,216 mm48 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Besançon climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 541 | −130 | 236 | 1024.0 |
| Feb | 643 | −130 | 236 | 813.2 |
| Mar | 1051 | 236 | 643 | 973.8 |
| Apr | 1560 | 642 | 1151 | 853.3 |
| May | 1966 | 1050 | 1458 | 1224.8 |
| Jun | 2374 | 1457 | 1965 | 1094.3 |
| Jul | 2577 | 1660 | 2069 | 1034.1 |
| Aug | 2577 | 1559 | 2068 | 1094.3 |
| Sep | 2170 | 1152 | 1661 | 853.3 |
| Oct | 1661 | 846 | 1254 | 1064.2 |
| Nov | 1050 | 338 | 744 | 1024.0 |
| Dec | 642 | 032 | 337 | 1164.6 |
| Year | 2577 | −130 | 1152 | 1,21648 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92% | 77% | 1.1 | 8:52 |
| Feb | 90% | 73% | 1.9 | 10:12 |
| Mar | 86% | 67% | 3.2 | 11:45 |
| Apr | 81% | 66% | 4.5 | 13:33 |
| May | 81% | 70% | 5.2 | 15:04 |
| Jun | 79% | 64% | 6.0 | 15:54 |
| Jul | 75% | 59% | 5.9 | 15:34 |
| Aug | 75% | 60% | 5.0 | 14:14 |
| Sep | 79% | 60% | 3.8 | 12:29 |
| Oct | 85% | 69% | 2.4 | 10:46 |
| Nov | 90% | 77% | 1.3 | 9:15 |
| Dec | 91% | 77% | 0.9 | 8:30 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Besançon is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 25 °C77 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C41 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 18.4 °C33.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,216 mm48 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (122 mm4.8 in), the driest is February (81 mm3.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in August to 92% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 59%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (5 mph) in August to 10 km/h (7 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.5 hours in December to 15.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Besançon
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June and July and September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 85 mm3.3 in to 109 mm4.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C41 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Besançon
- Winter (December–February) — highs 541 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −130 to 0 °C32 °F, about 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1051 to 19 °C66 °F, lows 236 to 10 °C50 °F, about 101 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2374 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C60 °F, about 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 338 to 11 °C52 °F, about 98 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Besançon compares
Compared with Dijon, about 76 km to the west, Besançon is on average 0.5 °C0.8 °F warmer and receives 53% more precipitation (1,216 mm48 in vs 795 mm31 in). The difference is largest in August (0.8 °C1.5 °F warmer).
Of the 36 places in France covered by World Climates, Besançon is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the France climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Lausanne (Switzerland, Cfb), Freiburg (Germany, Cfb) and Basel (Switzerland, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Dijon 76 km · 11 °C51 °F · 795 mm31 in
- Lausanne 94 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,175 mm46 in
- Bern 113 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,142 mm45 in
- Mulhouse 113 km · 11 °C51 °F · 846 mm33 in
- Geneva 117 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,107 mm44 in
- Basel 122 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,062 mm42 in
- Nancy 160 km · 11 °C51 °F · 758 mm30 in
- Freiburg 161 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,260 mm50 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Besançon?
July is the warmest month in Besançon, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Besançon?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Besançon?
May is the wettest month with about 122 mm (4.8 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 81 mm (3.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Besançon?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June and July and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 679 m, while Besançon lies at about 300 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.5 °C4.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.