Espezel has colder winter nights than 94% of mainland French towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 22.6°C. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 24°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 94% of mainland French towns. Windscreens need scraping on about 77 mornings a year, the nights the air drops below 0°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Belcaire station, 4.3 km west.
A year in Espezel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Belcaire station.
What a year in Espezel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Belcaire.
About 1,032 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. About 33 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 23 towns of 2,500+ in Aude.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Carcassonne
A frosty town: 77 frosts and 33 days of 25°C a year
On about 77 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 7 days it stays below freezing all day. About 33 days a year reach 25°C, and 6 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Belcaire: 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 Belcaire
Belcaire is 4.3 km west of Espezel. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Espezel itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Belcaire (11028001) |
| Distance from the town | 4.3 km west |
| Station altitude | 980 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 894 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Carcassonne, 49 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 Espezel 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 Aude.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest towns of 2,500+ within 29 km, each with its own matched station.
Espezel weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Belcaire station; sunshine at Carcassonne.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.7°C | −1.1°C | 3.3°C | 100 mm | 95 |
| February | 7.9°C | −1.0°C | 3.4°C | 78 mm | 122 |
| March | 10.6°C | 1.3°C | 6.0°C | 79 mm | 174 |
| April | 12.6°C | 3.1°C | 7.9°C | 109 mm | 192 |
| May | 16.2°C | 6.6°C | 11.4°C | 108 mm | 220 |
| June | 20.0°C | 10.2°C | 15.1°C | 83 mm | 248 |
| July | 22.6°C | 12.2°C | 17.4°C | 54 mm | 283 |
| August | 23.0°C | 12.4°C | 17.7°C | 58 mm | 268 |
| September | 19.3°C | 9.3°C | 14.3°C | 73 mm | 216 |
| October | 15.9°C | 6.1°C | 11.0°C | 84 mm | 152 |
| November | 10.8°C | 1.8°C | 6.3°C | 114 mm | 105 |
| December | 8.5°C | −0.3°C | 4.1°C | 92 mm | 95 |
| Year | 14.6°C | 5.0°C | 9.8°C | 1,032 mm | 2,170 |
Where Espezel’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Belcaire, 4.3 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, Carcassonne, 49 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 Aude.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Espezel’s climate
How warm does Espezel get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.0°C. About 33 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 89% of mainland French towns, and about 6 reach 30°C.
How cold does Espezel get in winter?
January nights average −1.1°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 77 nights a year, and about 7 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Espezel get?
About 1,032 mm a year, more than 88% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (114 mm) and July the driest (54 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Carcassonne (49 km away), averages 2,170 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Espezel itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Espezel, Belcaire, 4.3 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 BELCAIRE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Espezel →
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.