Summer arrives in force in Mézel, hotter than in 91% of mainland French towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 1.1°C. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 29°C apart. Its yearly rainfall falls short of 78% of mainland French towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 19–27°C, belongs to May, June, September and October.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Valensole station, 23 km south-west.
A year in Mézel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Valensole station.
What a year in Mézel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Valensole.
About 672 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 22 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 13th wettest of 15 towns of 2,500+ in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Saint-Auban
39 frosts and 97 days of 25°C a year
On about 39 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 97 days a year reach 25°C, and 39 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Valensole: 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 Valensole
Valensole is 23 km south-west of Mézel. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Mézel itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Valensole (04230001) |
| Distance from the town | 23 km south-west |
| Station altitude | 600 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 586 m |
| Period | 1995–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Nearest station of any kind | 8.2 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Saint-Auban, 18 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 Mézel 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 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mézel | Valensole | 29.8°C | 1.1°C | 672 mm |
| Digne-les-Bains 11 km | same station | 29.8°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 672 mm |
| Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban 18 km | Saint-Auban | 30.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.2°C 0.9°C colder | 714 mm |
| Les Mées 18 km | Saint-Auban | 30.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.2°C 0.9°C colder | 714 mm |
| Peyruis 21 km | Saint-Auban | 30.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.2°C 0.9°C colder | 714 mm |
| Oraison 24 km | Saint-Auban | 30.3°C 0.5°C warmer | 0.2°C 0.9°C colder | 714 mm |
| Valensole 25 km | same station | 29.8°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 672 mm |
Mézel weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Valensole station; sunshine at Saint-Auban.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.5°C | 1.1°C | 5.3°C | 45 mm | 168 |
| February | 10.9°C | 0.9°C | 5.9°C | 36 mm | 183 |
| March | 14.5°C | 3.3°C | 8.9°C | 42 mm | 230 |
| April | 17.5°C | 5.9°C | 11.7°C | 65 mm | 228 |
| May | 21.7°C | 9.5°C | 15.6°C | 65 mm | 263 |
| June | 26.7°C | 13.3°C | 20.0°C | 50 mm | 303 |
| July | 29.8°C | 15.6°C | 22.7°C | 34 mm | 342 |
| August | 29.3°C | 15.6°C | 22.4°C | 50 mm | 312 |
| September | 24.2°C | 12.1°C | 18.2°C | 56 mm | 249 |
| October | 19.3°C | 9.1°C | 14.2°C | 76 mm | 196 |
| November | 13.0°C | 4.7°C | 8.8°C | 97 mm | 157 |
| December | 9.8°C | 1.8°C | 5.8°C | 57 mm | 149 |
| Year | 18.9°C | 7.7°C | 13.3°C | 672 mm | 2,779 |
Where Mézel’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Valensole, 23 km away: statistics for 1991–2020 (the station’s own years, 1995–2020, 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, Saint-Auban, 18 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 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Mézel’s climate
How warm does Mézel get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 29.8°C. About 97 days a year reach 25°C, more than 86% of mainland French towns, and about 39 reach 30°C.
How cold does Mézel get in winter?
February nights average 0.9°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 39 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Mézel get?
About 672 mm a year, less than 78% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (97 mm) and July the driest (34 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Auban (18 km away), averages 2,779 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Mézel itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Mézel, Valensole, 23 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 VALENSOLE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Mézel →
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.