Midwinter lows in Fontan sink below those of 91% of mainland French towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 27.2°C. Of the 51 towns of 2,500+ in Alpes-Maritimes, it is the wettest. Rain peaks in November and eases off in July. Plan for rain on about 80 days a year, the days with 1 mm or more.
Figures from Météo-France’s Tende station, 4.9 km north-east.
A year in Fontan at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Tende station.
What a year in Fontan feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Tende.
About 1,048 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 29 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 51 towns of 2,500+ in Alpes-Maritimes.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Nice
A frosty town: 63 frosts and 76 days of 25°C a year
On about 63 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below; days that stay below freezing are rare. About 76 days a year reach 25°C, and 12 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Tende: 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 Tende
Tende is 4.9 km north-east of Fontan. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Fontan itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Tende (06163007) |
| Distance from the town | 4.9 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 636 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 423 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Nice, 48 km away |
Fontan sits 213 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Fontan to run about 1.4°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 Fontan 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-Maritimes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontan | Tende | 27.2°C | −0.6°C | 1,048 mm |
| Sospel 16 km | same station | 27.2°C about the same | −0.6°C about the same | 1,048 mm |
| L'Escarène 25 km | Valbonne-Sophia | 28.4°C 1.2°C warmer | 5.9°C 6.5°C milder | 920 mm |
| Menton 26 km | Nice | 27.5°C about the same | 5.8°C 6.4°C milder | 791 mm |
| Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 28 km | Nice | 27.5°C about the same | 5.8°C 6.4°C milder | 791 mm |
| Contes 29 km | Valbonne-Sophia | 28.4°C 1.2°C warmer | 5.9°C 6.5°C milder | 920 mm |
Fontan weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Tende station; sunshine at Nice.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.1°C | −0.6°C | 4.3°C | 82 mm | 157 |
| February | 10.5°C | −0.1°C | 5.2°C | 53 mm | 166 |
| March | 13.6°C | 2.3°C | 8.0°C | 60 mm | 218 |
| April | 16.1°C | 5.1°C | 10.6°C | 94 mm | 229 |
| May | 20.3°C | 8.5°C | 14.4°C | 78 mm | 271 |
| June | 24.5°C | 11.8°C | 18.2°C | 64 mm | 310 |
| July | 27.2°C | 13.9°C | 20.6°C | 49 mm | 349 |
| August | 27.4°C | 13.8°C | 20.6°C | 57 mm | 323 |
| September | 22.8°C | 10.5°C | 16.7°C | 91 mm | 250 |
| October | 18.2°C | 7.4°C | 12.8°C | 153 mm | 191 |
| November | 12.9°C | 3.5°C | 8.2°C | 165 mm | 152 |
| December | 9.4°C | 0.4°C | 4.9°C | 103 mm | 145 |
| Year | 17.7°C | 6.4°C | 12.0°C | 1,048 mm | 2,761 |
Where Fontan’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Tende, 4.9 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, Nice, 48 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-Maritimes.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Fontan’s climate
How warm does Fontan get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 27.4°C. About 76 days a year reach 25°C, more than 68% of mainland French towns, and about 12 reach 30°C.
How cold does Fontan get in winter?
January nights average −0.6°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 63 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Fontan get?
About 1,048 mm a year, more than 89% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (165 mm) and July the driest (49 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Nice (48 km away), averages 2,761 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Fontan itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Fontan, Tende, 4.9 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 TENDE_SAPC, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Fontan →
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.