Hardly any mainland French towns collect more rain than Prémillieu: 1,724 mm a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 22.4°C on average. The rainiest month is November; the driest is July. Frost is common: about 119 nights a year drop below freezing, more than in almost every mainland French town. Plan for rain on about 138 days a year, the days with 1 mm or more.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Bénonces station, 6.8 km west.
A year in Prémillieu at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Bénonces station.
What a year in Prémillieu feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Bénonces.
About 1,724 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 62 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 2nd wettest of 60 towns of 2,500+ in Ain.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Amberieu
A frosty town: 119 frosts and 29 days of 25°C a year
On about 119 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 22 days it stays below freezing all day. About 29 days a year reach 25°C, and 4 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Bénonces: 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 Bénonces
Bénonces is 6.8 km west of Prémillieu. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Prémillieu itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Bénonces (01037001) |
| Distance from the town | 6.8 km west |
| Station altitude | 944 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 894 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Amberieu, 22 km away |
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 Prémillieu 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prémillieu | Bénonces | 22.4°C | −3.4°C | 1,724 mm |
| Plateau d'Hauteville 11 km | same station | 22.4°C about the same | −3.4°C about the same | 1,724 mm |
| Montalieu-Vercieu 15 km | Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey | 27.6°C 5.2°C warmer | −0.7°C 2.7°C milder | 1,512 mm |
| Belley 16 km | Chambery-Aix | 27.8°C 5.4°C warmer | −0.7°C 2.7°C milder | 1,204 mm |
| Culoz-Béon 16 km | Bloye | 27.8°C 5.4°C warmer | −1.5°C 1.9°C milder | 1,207 mm |
| Lagnieu 18 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 5.1°C warmer | −0.1°C 3.3°C milder | 1,118 mm |
| Ambérieu-en-Bugey 19 km | Amberieu | 27.5°C 5.1°C warmer | −0.1°C 3.3°C milder | 1,118 mm |
Prémillieu weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Bénonces station; sunshine at Amberieu.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5°C | −3.4°C | 0.0°C | 158 mm | 68 |
| February | 4.6°C | −3.6°C | 0.5°C | 122 mm | 98 |
| March | 8.7°C | −0.7°C | 4.0°C | 130 mm | 170 |
| April | 12.2°C | 2.1°C | 7.2°C | 127 mm | 194 |
| May | 16.2°C | 6.0°C | 11.1°C | 158 mm | 220 |
| June | 20.1°C | 9.5°C | 14.8°C | 121 mm | 252 |
| July | 22.4°C | 11.5°C | 17.0°C | 112 mm | 288 |
| August | 22.2°C | 11.6°C | 16.9°C | 112 mm | 261 |
| September | 17.6°C | 8.1°C | 12.9°C | 145 mm | 189 |
| October | 13.1°C | 5.0°C | 9.1°C | 177 mm | 122 |
| November | 7.5°C | 0.4°C | 3.9°C | 186 mm | 73 |
| December | 4.1°C | −2.6°C | 0.7°C | 178 mm | 55 |
| Year | 12.7°C | 3.7°C | 8.2°C | 1,724 mm | 1,989 |
Where Prémillieu’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Bénonces, 6.8 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, 22 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 Prémillieu’s climate
How warm does Prémillieu get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.4°C. About 29 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 92% of mainland French towns, and about 4 reach 30°C.
How cold does Prémillieu get in winter?
February nights average −3.6°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 119 nights a year, and about 22 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Prémillieu get?
About 1,724 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. November is the wettest month (186 mm) and July the driest (112 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Amberieu (22 km away), averages 1,989 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Prémillieu itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Prémillieu, Bénonces, 6.8 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 BENONCES, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Prémillieu →
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.