Few mainland French towns have colder winter nights than Arçon
January nights average −3.6°C, July afternoons 23.5°C, and a year brings 1,464 mm of rain. It is a wet place: more rain falls here than on almost every mainland French town. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of mainland French towns. Figures from Météo-France’s Pontarlier station, 5.3 km south-west.
A year in Arçon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Pontarlier station.
What a year in Arçon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pontarlier.
About 1,464 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 54 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 5th wettest of 34 towns of 2,500+ in Doubs.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Besançon
A frosty town: 110 frosts and 41 days of 25°C a year
On about 110 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 16 days it stays below freezing all day. About 41 days a year reach 25°C, and 8 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pontarlier: 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 Pontarlier
Pontarlier is 5.3 km south-west of Arçon. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Arçon itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Pontarlier (25462001) |
| Distance from the town | 5.3 km south-west |
| Station altitude | 808 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 836 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Besançon, 44 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 Arçon 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 Doubs.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arçon | Pontarlier | 23.5°C | −3.6°C | 1,464 mm |
| Doubs 3.7 km | same station | 23.5°C about the same | −3.6°C about the same | 1,464 mm |
| Pontarlier 5.1 km | same station | 23.5°C about the same | −3.6°C about the same | 1,464 mm |
| Morteau 21 km | Épenoy | 22.6°C 0.9°C cooler | −1.8°C 1.8°C milder | 1,363 mm |
| Valdahon 22 km | Adam-lès-Vercel | 24.4°C 0.9°C warmer | −2.4°C 1.2°C milder | 1,511 mm |
| Les Fins 23 km | Le Russey | 22.8°C 0.7°C cooler | −4.8°C 1.2°C colder | 1,667 mm |
| Ornans 25 km | Besançon | 25.7°C 2.2°C warmer | 0.1°C 3.7°C milder | 1,157 mm |
Arçon weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Pontarlier station; sunshine at Besançon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.6°C | −3.6°C | 0.5°C | 115 mm | 68 |
| February | 5.7°C | −3.7°C | 1.0°C | 105 mm | 97 |
| March | 9.8°C | −0.6°C | 4.6°C | 108 mm | 153 |
| April | 13.6°C | 2.2°C | 7.9°C | 105 mm | 184 |
| May | 17.3°C | 6.2°C | 11.8°C | 140 mm | 208 |
| June | 21.2°C | 9.7°C | 15.4°C | 125 mm | 231 |
| July | 23.5°C | 11.4°C | 17.5°C | 123 mm | 249 |
| August | 23.5°C | 11.1°C | 17.3°C | 121 mm | 237 |
| September | 19.1°C | 7.7°C | 13.4°C | 114 mm | 184 |
| October | 15.0°C | 4.6°C | 9.8°C | 129 mm | 132 |
| November | 8.8°C | 0.3°C | 4.6°C | 131 mm | 75 |
| December | 5.1°C | −2.5°C | 1.3°C | 148 mm | 56 |
| Year | 13.9°C | 3.6°C | 8.8°C | 1,464 mm | 1,873 |
Where Arçon’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Pontarlier, 5.3 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, Besançon, 44 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 Doubs.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Arçon’s climate
How warm does Arçon get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.5°C. About 41 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 80% of mainland French towns, and about 8 reach 30°C.
How cold does Arçon get in winter?
February nights average −3.7°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 110 nights a year, and about 16 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Arçon get?
About 1,464 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. December is the wettest month (148 mm) and April the driest (105 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Besançon (44 km away), averages 1,873 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Arçon itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Arçon, Pontarlier, 5.3 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 PONTARLIER, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Arçon →
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.