Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs has some of the coolest summers among mainland French towns
In January the night’s low is typically −1.5°C. Expect the heaviest rain in November and the lightest in March. Of the 21 towns of 2,500+ in Allier, it is the wettest. Wet days, with 1 mm of rain or more, come about 149 times a year.
Figures from Météo-France’s Saint-Nicolas station, 2.1 km south-east.
A year in Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Saint-Nicolas station.
What a year in Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Nicolas.
About 1,387 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and March the driest. About 47 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 21 towns of 2,500+ in Allier.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Saint-Nicolas
A frosty town: 88 frosts and 17 days of 25°C a year
On about 88 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 30 days it stays below freezing all day. About 17 days a year reach 25°C, and 2 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Nicolas: 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 Saint-Nicolas
Saint-Nicolas is 2.1 km south-east of Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Saint-Nicolas (03248001) |
| Distance from the town | 2.1 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 1,022 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 890 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | the same station |
Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs sits 132 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs to run about 0.9°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 Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs 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 Allier.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs | Saint-Nicolas | 20.5°C | −1.5°C | 1,387 mm |
| Renaison 11 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
| Riorges 20 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
| Villerest 21 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
| Mably 22 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
| Roanne 22 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
| Commelle-Vernay 22 km | Riorges - Man | 27.6°C 7.1°C warmer | 0.5°C 2°C milder | 711 mm |
Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Saint-Nicolas station.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5°C | −1.5°C | 1.0°C | 111 mm | 76 |
| February | 3.8°C | −1.6°C | 1.1°C | 93 mm | 100 |
| March | 7.2°C | 0.7°C | 3.9°C | 91 mm | 148 |
| April | 10.5°C | 3.1°C | 6.8°C | 109 mm | 177 |
| May | 14.5°C | 6.7°C | 10.6°C | 137 mm | 185 |
| June | 18.2°C | 10.1°C | 14.2°C | 115 mm | 222 |
| July | 20.5°C | 12.1°C | 16.3°C | 126 mm | 255 |
| August | 20.6°C | 12.4°C | 16.5°C | 110 mm | 221 |
| September | 16.2°C | 9.1°C | 12.6°C | 117 mm | 173 |
| October | 12.3°C | 6.2°C | 9.3°C | 124 mm | 133 |
| November | 7.0°C | 1.8°C | 4.4°C | 137 mm | 81 |
| December | 4.3°C | −0.6°C | 1.8°C | 118 mm | 69 |
| Year | 11.6°C | 4.9°C | 8.2°C | 1,387 mm | 1,839 |
Where Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Saint-Nicolas, 2.1 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, Saint-Nicolas, 2.1 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 Allier.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs’s climate
How warm does Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.6°C. About 17 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 96% of mainland French towns, and about 2 reach 30°C.
How cold does Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs get in winter?
February nights average −1.6°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 88 nights a year, and about 30 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs get?
About 1,387 mm a year, more than 98% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (137 mm) and March the driest (91 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Nicolas (2.1 km away), averages 1,839 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs, Saint-Nicolas, 2.1 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 ST-NICOLAS, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs →
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.