Aranc is among the wettest of mainland French towns: 1,610 mm of rain a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 24.7°C. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 28°C. By frosts alone, it ranks colder than almost every mainland French town. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 20–25°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Vieu station, 11 km north.
A year in Aranc at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Vieu station.
What a year in Aranc feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Vieu.
About 1,610 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and August the driest. About 56 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 3rd wettest of 60 towns of 2,500+ in Ain.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Amberieu
A frosty town: 107 frosts and 48 days of 25°C a year
On about 107 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 12 days it stays below freezing all day. About 48 days a year reach 25°C, and 10 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Vieu: a frost is a night of 0°C or below, a summer day (jour d’été) 25°C or more, a hot day (forte chaleur) 30°C or more.
The Météo-France station at Vieu
Vieu is 11 km north of Aranc. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Aranc itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Vieu (01441001) |
| Distance from the town | 11 km north |
| Station altitude | 616 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 781 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Amberieu, 14 km away |
Aranc sits 165 m higher than the station. Air usually cools by about 0.65°C every 100 m, so expect Aranc to run about 1.1°C cooler than these figures.
TownRatings matches each commune to one station with at least 24 years of temperature and rain records: the nearest, counting every 100 m of height difference as 10 km, never across the sea.
How Aranc compares
Against the 4,385 towns of 2,500 or more in mainland France, each read from its own matched station. The dots are the other towns of 2,500+ in Ain.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest towns of 2,500+ within 29 km. Where a neighbor uses the same station its figures are the same: the differences you’d feel over a few kilometers aren’t in the normals.
| Town | Station | July high | January low | Rain a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aranc | Vieu | 24.7°C | −2.8°C | 1,610 mm |
| Plateau d'Hauteville 8.4 km | Bénonces | 22.4°C 2.3°C cooler | −3.4°C 0.6°C colder | 1,724 mm |
| Ambronay 12 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 2.8°C warmer | −0.1°C 2.7°C milder | 1,118 mm |
| Ambérieu-en-Bugey 13 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 2.8°C warmer | −0.1°C 2.7°C milder | 1,118 mm |
| Pont-d'Ain 14 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 2.8°C warmer | −0.1°C 2.7°C milder | 1,118 mm |
| Lagnieu 17 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 2.8°C warmer | −0.1°C 2.7°C milder | 1,118 mm |
| Nantua 18 km | same station | 24.7°C about the same | −2.8°C about the same | 1,610 mm |
Aranc weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Vieu station; sunshine at Amberieu.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5°C | −2.8°C | 1.4°C | 143 mm | 68 |
| February | 6.7°C | −3.0°C | 1.8°C | 122 mm | 98 |
| March | 10.9°C | −0.5°C | 5.2°C | 125 mm | 170 |
| April | 14.5°C | 2.1°C | 8.3°C | 126 mm | 194 |
| May | 18.5°C | 6.2°C | 12.3°C | 138 mm | 220 |
| June | 22.4°C | 9.5°C | 16.0°C | 115 mm | 252 |
| July | 24.7°C | 11.4°C | 18.1°C | 124 mm | 288 |
| August | 24.6°C | 11.2°C | 17.9°C | 106 mm | 261 |
| September | 20.0°C | 8.0°C | 14.0°C | 127 mm | 189 |
| October | 15.5°C | 5.4°C | 10.4°C | 153 mm | 122 |
| November | 9.6°C | 1.0°C | 5.3°C | 165 mm | 73 |
| December | 6.3°C | −1.8°C | 2.2°C | 166 mm | 55 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 3.9°C | 9.4°C | 1,610 mm | 1,989 |
Where Aranc’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Vieu, 11 km away: statistics for 1991–2020.
- Which station: among stations with at least 24 of the 30 years of temperature and rain, the nearest to the commune’s population-weighted center, counting each 100 m of height difference as 10 km; mainland towns use mainland stations and each overseas département its own.
- Altitudes: the town’s from IGN’s RGE ALTI® at its population-weighted center; the station’s from Météo-France.
- Sunshine: the nearest station with at least 10 years of sunshine records, Amberieu, 14 km away.
- Comparisons: every town of 2,500 or more in mainland France, read the same way; the dots are the towns of 2,500+ in Ain.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Aranc’s climate
How warm does Aranc get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24.7°C. About 48 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 71% of mainland French towns, and about 10 reach 30°C.
How cold does Aranc get in winter?
February nights average −3.0°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 107 nights a year, and about 12 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Aranc get?
About 1,610 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. December is the wettest month (166 mm) and August the driest (106 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Amberieu (14 km away), averages 1,989 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Aranc itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Aranc, Vieu, 11 km away. France publishes its climate normals by station, not by commune; a valley, a hill or the sea can make a difference over a few kilometers.
Where do these figures come from?
Météo-France’s fiches climatologiques: 30-year averages (1991–2020) for each of its long-running stations, published as open data since 2024. They are normals, not a forecast.
Source: Météo-France, fiches climatologiques, 1991–2020 statistics (station VIEU, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Aranc →
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.