Wet weather: 1,024 mm a year falls on Marches, more than on 88% of mainland French towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 0.6°C. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 81% of mainland French towns. Seasons differ by 28°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 17–25°C, belongs to May, June, September and October.
Figures from Météo-France’s Rochefort-Samson station, 4.6 km east.
A year in Marches at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Rochefort-Samson station.
What a year in Marches feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Rochefort-Samson.
About 1,024 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and February the driest. About 32 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 2nd wettest of 40 towns of 2,500+ in Drôme.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Colombier Jeune Rad
48 frosts and 81 days of 25°C a year
On about 48 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 6 days it stays below freezing all day. About 81 days a year reach 25°C, and 28 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Rochefort-Samson: 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 Rochefort-Samson
Rochefort-Samson is 4.6 km east of Marches. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Marches itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Rochefort-Samson (26273002) |
| Distance from the town | 4.6 km east |
| Station altitude | 368 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 318 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Colombier Jeune Rad, 35 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 Marches 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 Drôme.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marches | Rochefort-Samson | 28.2°C | 0.6°C | 1,024 mm |
| Chatuzange-le-Goubet 4.9 km | Romans | 29.3°C 1.1°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 877 mm |
| Alixan 7.4 km | Valence-Chabeui | 29.4°C 1.2°C warmer | 1.0°C about the same | 874 mm |
| Bourg-de-Péage 7.7 km | Romans | 29.3°C 1.1°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 877 mm |
| Montélier 8.3 km | Valence-Chabeui | 29.4°C 1.2°C warmer | 1.0°C about the same | 874 mm |
| Romans-sur-Isère 9.1 km | Romans | 29.3°C 1.1°C warmer | 0.8°C about the same | 877 mm |
| Chabeuil 11 km | Valence-Chabeui | 29.4°C 1.2°C warmer | 1.0°C about the same | 874 mm |
Marches weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Rochefort-Samson station; sunshine at Colombier Jeune Rad.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.2°C | 0.6°C | 3.9°C | 63 mm | 73 |
| February | 8.6°C | 0.8°C | 4.7°C | 51 mm | 99 |
| March | 13.2°C | 3.4°C | 8.3°C | 65 mm | 168 |
| April | 16.7°C | 5.8°C | 11.3°C | 92 mm | 188 |
| May | 20.8°C | 9.6°C | 15.2°C | 106 mm | 218 |
| June | 25.2°C | 13.1°C | 19.1°C | 80 mm | 261 |
| July | 28.2°C | 15.3°C | 21.7°C | 73 mm | 282 |
| August | 27.9°C | 15.3°C | 21.6°C | 74 mm | 253 |
| September | 22.7°C | 11.8°C | 17.2°C | 114 mm | 197 |
| October | 17.4°C | 8.7°C | 13.1°C | 126 mm | 123 |
| November | 11.3°C | 4.3°C | 7.8°C | 117 mm | 81 |
| December | 7.8°C | 1.4°C | 4.6°C | 63 mm | 62 |
| Year | 17.2°C | 7.5°C | 12.4°C | 1,024 mm | 2,003 |
Where Marches’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Rochefort-Samson, 4.6 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, Colombier Jeune Rad, 35 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 Drôme.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Marches’s climate
How warm does Marches get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 28.2°C. About 81 days a year reach 25°C, more than 72% of mainland French towns, and about 28 reach 30°C.
How cold does Marches get in winter?
January nights average 0.6°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 48 nights a year, and about 6 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Marches get?
About 1,024 mm a year, more than 88% of mainland French towns. October is the wettest month (126 mm) and February the driest (51 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Colombier Jeune Rad (35 km away), averages 2,003 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Marches itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Marches, Rochefort-Samson, 4.6 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 ROCHEFORT-SAMSON_SAPC, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Marches →
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.