Lélex is among the wettest of mainland French towns: 1,672 mm of rain a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about −2.5°C. Seasons differ by 24°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Its January nights bite harder than in almost every mainland French town. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 17–22°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Giron station, 15 km south-west.
A year in Lélex at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Giron station.
What a year in Lélex 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 Meythet
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 15 km south-west of Lélex. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Lélex itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Giron (01174001) |
| Distance from the town | 15 km south-west |
| Station altitude | 1,009 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 880 m |
| Period | 1993–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Nearest station of any kind | 7.4 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Meythet, 43 km away |
Lélex sits 129 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Lélex to run about 0.8°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 Lélex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lélex | Giron | 21.8°C | −2.5°C | 1,672 mm |
| Thoiry 7.7 km | Archamps | 26.4°C 4.6°C warmer | −1.0°C 1.5°C milder | 1,170 mm |
| Saint-Genis-Pouilly 8.9 km | Gaillard | 27.6°C 5.8°C warmer | −1.1°C 1.4°C milder | 967 mm |
| Gex 10 km | Saint-Claude | 26.9°C 5.1°C warmer | −2.3°C about the same | 1,869 mm |
| Ségny 10 km | Gaillard | 27.6°C 5.8°C warmer | −1.1°C 1.4°C milder | 967 mm |
| Cessy 10 km | Archamps | 26.4°C 4.6°C warmer | −1.0°C 1.5°C milder | 1,170 mm |
| Saint-Claude 12 km | Saint-Claude | 26.9°C 5.1°C warmer | −2.3°C about the same | 1,869 mm |
Lélex weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Giron station; sunshine at Meythet.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.1°C | −2.5°C | 0.3°C | 166 mm | 88 |
| February | 4.0°C | −2.4°C | 0.8°C | 140 mm | 113 |
| March | 8.0°C | 0.3°C | 4.2°C | 139 mm | 174 |
| April | 11.4°C | 3.2°C | 7.3°C | 112 mm | 191 |
| 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 | 256 |
| July | 21.8°C | 12.5°C | 17.1°C | 116 mm | 274 |
| August | 21.6°C | 12.4°C | 17.0°C | 122 mm | 249 |
| September | 17.3°C | 9.0°C | 13.1°C | 122 mm | 195 |
| October | 13.2°C | 6.1°C | 9.6°C | 150 mm | 141 |
| November | 7.1°C | 1.3°C | 4.2°C | 164 mm | 91 |
| December | 3.9°C | −1.5°C | 1.2°C | 177 mm | 78 |
| Year | 12.2°C | 4.7°C | 8.4°C | 1,672 mm | 2,069 |
Where Lélex’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Giron, 15 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, Meythet, 43 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 Lélex’s climate
How warm does Lélex 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 Lélex 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 Lélex 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, Meythet (43 km away), averages 2,069 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Lélex itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Lélex, Giron, 15 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 Lélex →
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.