Échallon is among the wettest of mainland French towns: 1,672 mm of rain a year
Deep winter brings January lows near −2.5°C. In January, nights here are colder than in almost every mainland French town. Rain peaks in December and eases off in April. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 97 nights a year below 0°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Giron station, 3.2 km east.
A year in Échallon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Giron station.
What a year in Échallon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Giron.
About 1,672 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 62 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: 97 frosts and 27 days of 25°C a year
On about 97 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 26 days it stays below freezing all day. About 27 days a year reach 25°C, and 4 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Giron: 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 Giron
Giron is 3.2 km east of Échallon. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Échallon itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Giron (01174001) |
| Distance from the town | 3.2 km east |
| Station altitude | 1,009 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 811 m |
| Period | 1993–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Sunshine measured at | Amberieu, 42 km away |
Échallon sits 198 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Échallon to run about 1.3°C warmer 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 Échallon 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, each with its own matched station.
| Town | Station | July high | January low | Rain a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Échallon | Giron | 21.8°C | −2.5°C | 1,672 mm |
| Oyonnax 8 km | Cernon | 25.4°C 3.6°C warmer | −1.5°C 1°C milder | 1,568 mm |
| Arbent 8.2 km | Cernon | 25.4°C 3.6°C warmer | −1.5°C 1°C milder | 1,568 mm |
| Bellignat 8.6 km | Cernon | 25.4°C 3.6°C warmer | −1.5°C 1°C milder | 1,568 mm |
| Nantua 13 km | Vieu | 24.7°C 2.9°C warmer | −2.8°C about the same | 1,610 mm |
| Montréal-la-Cluse 13 km | Vieu | 24.7°C 2.9°C warmer | −2.8°C about the same | 1,610 mm |
| Valserhône 13 km | Bellegarde | 27.5°C 5.7°C warmer | −1.7°C 0.8°C milder | 1,185 mm |
Échallon weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Giron station; sunshine at Amberieu.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.1°C | −2.5°C | 0.3°C | 166 mm | 68 |
| February | 4.0°C | −2.4°C | 0.8°C | 140 mm | 98 |
| March | 8.0°C | 0.3°C | 4.2°C | 139 mm | 170 |
| April | 11.4°C | 3.2°C | 7.3°C | 112 mm | 194 |
| May | 15.5°C | 7.0°C | 11.3°C | 145 mm | 220 |
| June | 19.8°C | 10.6°C | 15.2°C | 120 mm | 252 |
| July | 21.8°C | 12.5°C | 17.1°C | 116 mm | 288 |
| August | 21.6°C | 12.4°C | 17.0°C | 122 mm | 261 |
| September | 17.3°C | 9.0°C | 13.1°C | 122 mm | 189 |
| October | 13.2°C | 6.1°C | 9.6°C | 150 mm | 122 |
| November | 7.1°C | 1.3°C | 4.2°C | 164 mm | 73 |
| December | 3.9°C | −1.5°C | 1.2°C | 177 mm | 55 |
| Year | 12.2°C | 4.7°C | 8.4°C | 1,672 mm | 1,989 |
Where Échallon’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Giron, 3.2 km away: statistics for 1991–2020 (the station’s own years, 1993–2020, where its record is shorter).
- 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, 42 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 Échallon’s climate
How warm does Échallon get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.8°C. About 27 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 93% of mainland French towns, and about 4 reach 30°C.
How cold does Échallon get in winter?
January nights average −2.5°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 97 nights a year, and about 26 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Échallon get?
About 1,672 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. December is the wettest month (177 mm) and April the driest (112 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Amberieu (42 km away), averages 1,989 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Échallon itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Échallon, Giron, 3.2 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 GIRON, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Échallon →
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.