Mérens-les-Vals is among the frostiest of mainland French towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 24.5°C. Seasons differ by 28°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. None of the 11 towns of 2,500+ in Ariège gets more rain. An umbrella earns its place on about 127 days a year with 1 mm of rain or more.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Ascou Lavail station, 8.8 km north-east.
A year in Mérens-les-Vals at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Ascou Lavail station.
What a year in Mérens-les-Vals feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Ascou Lavail.
About 1,259 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 44 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 11 towns of 2,500+ in Ariège.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Montaut
A frosty town: 132 frosts and 57 days of 25°C a year
On about 132 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 9 days it stays below freezing all day. About 57 days a year reach 25°C, and 14 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Ascou Lavail: 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 Ascou Lavail
Ascou Lavail is 8.8 km north-east of Mérens-les-Vals. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Mérens-les-Vals itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Ascou Lavail (09023002) |
| Distance from the town | 8.8 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 1,090 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,050 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Montaut, 62 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 Mérens-les-Vals 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 Ariège.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mérens-les-Vals | Ascou Lavail | 24.5°C | −3.2°C | 1,259 mm |
| Tarascon-sur-Ariège 28 km | Les Cascades | 25.8°C 1.3°C warmer | 1.6°C 4.8°C milder | 1,102 mm |
Mérens-les-Vals weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Ascou Lavail station; sunshine at Montaut.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.3°C | −3.2°C | 2.0°C | 129 mm | 100 |
| February | 8.7°C | −3.2°C | 2.7°C | 103 mm | 129 |
| March | 12.4°C | −0.9°C | 5.8°C | 97 mm | 170 |
| April | 14.4°C | 1.2°C | 7.8°C | 127 mm | 195 |
| May | 18.2°C | 4.5°C | 11.3°C | 129 mm | 210 |
| June | 21.8°C | 8.0°C | 14.9°C | 98 mm | 238 |
| July | 24.5°C | 10.0°C | 17.3°C | 73 mm | 260 |
| August | 25.0°C | 10.0°C | 17.5°C | 74 mm | 242 |
| September | 21.0°C | 6.8°C | 13.9°C | 91 mm | 212 |
| October | 17.3°C | 4.0°C | 10.7°C | 89 mm | 171 |
| November | 11.3°C | −0.1°C | 5.6°C | 132 mm | 119 |
| December | 7.7°C | −2.3°C | 2.7°C | 117 mm | 113 |
| Year | 15.8°C | 2.9°C | 9.3°C | 1,259 mm | 2,158 |
Where Mérens-les-Vals’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Ascou Lavail, 8.8 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, Montaut, 62 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 Ariège.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Mérens-les-Vals’s climate
How warm does Mérens-les-Vals get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 25.0°C. About 57 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 56% of mainland French towns, and about 14 reach 30°C.
How cold does Mérens-les-Vals get in winter?
January nights average −3.2°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 132 nights a year, and about 9 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Mérens-les-Vals get?
About 1,259 mm a year, more than 97% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (132 mm) and July the driest (73 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Montaut (62 km away), averages 2,158 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Mérens-les-Vals itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Mérens-les-Vals, Ascou Lavail, 8.8 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 ASCOU LAVAIL, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Mérens-les-Vals →
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.