Rainfall in Chives tops that of 78% of mainland French towns: 908 mm a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 2.4°C. December is the wettest month, July the driest. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 69% of mainland French towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to June and August to October, with highs of 18–27°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Villiers station, 4.2 km north-west.
A year in Chives at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Villiers station.
What a year in Chives feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Villiers.
About 908 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. About 30 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 4th wettest of 54 towns of 2,500+ in Charente-Maritime.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Cognac
45 frosts and 74 days of 25°C a year
On about 45 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 2 days it stays below freezing all day. About 74 days a year reach 25°C, and 23 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Villiers: 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 Villiers
Villiers is 4.2 km north-west of Chives. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Chives itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Villiers (17477001) |
| Distance from the town | 4.2 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 106 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 94 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Cognac, 36 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 Chives 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 Charente-Maritime.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest towns of 2,500+ within 29 km, each with its own matched station.
Chives weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Villiers station; sunshine at Cognac.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.9°C | 2.4°C | 5.6°C | 89 mm | 82 |
| February | 10.5°C | 1.8°C | 6.1°C | 68 mm | 116 |
| March | 14.1°C | 3.5°C | 8.8°C | 72 mm | 166 |
| April | 17.1°C | 5.3°C | 11.2°C | 72 mm | 187 |
| May | 21.0°C | 8.8°C | 14.9°C | 73 mm | 221 |
| June | 24.8°C | 11.8°C | 18.3°C | 63 mm | 237 |
| July | 27.1°C | 13.5°C | 20.3°C | 50 mm | 257 |
| August | 27.0°C | 13.4°C | 20.2°C | 60 mm | 250 |
| September | 23.4°C | 10.7°C | 17.1°C | 69 mm | 204 |
| October | 18.4°C | 8.8°C | 13.6°C | 87 mm | 141 |
| November | 12.7°C | 5.0°C | 8.9°C | 101 mm | 97 |
| December | 9.5°C | 2.8°C | 6.2°C | 104 mm | 85 |
| Year | 17.9°C | 7.3°C | 12.6°C | 908 mm | 2,043 |
Where Chives’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Villiers, 4.2 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, Cognac, 36 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 Charente-Maritime.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Chives’s climate
How warm does Chives get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 27.1°C. About 74 days a year reach 25°C, more than 67% of mainland French towns, and about 23 reach 30°C.
How cold does Chives get in winter?
February nights average 1.8°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 45 nights a year, and about 2 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Chives get?
About 908 mm a year, more than 78% of mainland French towns. December is the wettest month (104 mm) and July the driest (50 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Cognac (36 km away), averages 2,043 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Chives itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Chives, Villiers, 4.2 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 VILLIERS_SAPC, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Chives →
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.