Few mainland French towns get more rain than Saint-Mélany: 1,787 mm a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 2.1°C. Rain peaks in November and eases off in July. Its July heat outdoes that of 90% of mainland French towns. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 28 nights a year below 0°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Sablières Oara station, 4 km west.
A year in Saint-Mélany at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Sablières Oara station.
What a year in Saint-Mélany feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Sablières Oara.
About 1,787 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 40 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 22 towns of 2,500+ in Ardèche.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Lanas Syn
28 frosts and 99 days of 25°C a year
On about 28 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 99 days a year reach 25°C, and 42 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Sablières Oara: 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 Sablières Oara
Sablières Oara is 4 km west of Saint-Mélany. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Saint-Mélany itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Sablières Oara (07202002) |
| Distance from the town | 4 km west |
| Station altitude | 540 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 567 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Lanas Syn, 19 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 Saint-Mélany 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 Ardèche.
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-Mélany | Sablières Oara | 29.5°C | 2.1°C | 1,787 mm |
| Les Vans 15 km | Grospierres | 31.9°C 2.4°C warmer | 0.1°C 2°C colder | 1,095 mm |
| Saint-Étienne-de-Fontbellon 21 km | Aubenas Sa | 30.4°C 0.9°C warmer | 1.0°C 1.1°C colder | 1,061 mm |
| Aubenas 23 km | Vals-les-Bains | 29.7°C about the same | 1.6°C 0.5°C colder | 1,250 mm |
| Vals-les-Bains 24 km | Vals-les-Bains | 29.7°C about the same | 1.6°C 0.5°C colder | 1,250 mm |
| Bessèges 27 km | Salindres | 30.9°C 1.4°C warmer | 1.1°C 1°C colder | 1,092 mm |
Saint-Mélany weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Sablières Oara station; sunshine at Lanas Syn.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.2°C | 2.1°C | 6.1°C | 158 mm | 131 |
| February | 12.0°C | 2.1°C | 7.0°C | 102 mm | 153 |
| March | 15.8°C | 4.6°C | 10.2°C | 91 mm | 208 |
| April | 18.1°C | 7.0°C | 12.6°C | 150 mm | 208 |
| May | 21.7°C | 10.3°C | 16.0°C | 131 mm | 246 |
| June | 26.0°C | 13.9°C | 20.0°C | 86 mm | 286 |
| July | 29.5°C | 16.3°C | 22.9°C | 55 mm | 314 |
| August | 29.4°C | 16.3°C | 22.8°C | 75 mm | 284 |
| September | 24.2°C | 12.9°C | 18.6°C | 179 mm | 220 |
| October | 18.6°C | 9.7°C | 14.1°C | 269 mm | 154 |
| November | 13.5°C | 5.5°C | 9.5°C | 309 mm | 125 |
| December | 10.5°C | 2.8°C | 6.6°C | 183 mm | 120 |
| Year | 19.1°C | 8.6°C | 13.9°C | 1,787 mm | 2,447 |
Where Saint-Mélany’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Sablières Oara, 4 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, Lanas Syn, 19 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 Ardèche.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Saint-Mélany’s climate
How warm does Saint-Mélany get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 29.5°C. About 99 days a year reach 25°C, more than 88% of mainland French towns, and about 42 reach 30°C.
How cold does Saint-Mélany get in winter?
January nights average 2.1°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 28 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Saint-Mélany get?
About 1,787 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. November is the wettest month (309 mm) and July the driest (55 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Lanas Syn (19 km away), averages 2,447 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Saint-Mélany itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Saint-Mélany, Sablières Oara, 4 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 SABLIERES OARA, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Saint-Mélany →
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.