Hardly any mainland French towns wake to more frost than La Malachère
Midsummer highs settle at about 27.0°C. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 28°C. Its yearly rainfall tops that of 97% of mainland French towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 22–27°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Pouligney station, 16 km south-east.
A year in La Malachère at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Pouligney station.
What a year in La Malachère feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pouligney.
About 1,215 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 45 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 3rd wettest of 11 towns of 2,500+ in Haute-Saône.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Besançon
A frosty town: 90 frosts and 77 days of 25°C a year
On about 90 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 7 days it stays below freezing all day. About 77 days a year reach 25°C, and 27 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pouligney: 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 Pouligney
Pouligney is 16 km south-east of La Malachère. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in La Malachère itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Pouligney (25468001) |
| Distance from the town | 16 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 286 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 280 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Nearest station of any kind | 1.6 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Besançon, 23 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 La Malachère 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 Haute-Saône.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Malachère | Pouligney | 27.0°C | −1.4°C | 1,215 mm |
| Échenoz-la-Méline 18 km | Vesoul Ville | 27.2°C about the same | −0.4°C 1°C milder | 1,008 mm |
| Thise 19 km | Besançon | 25.7°C 1.3°C cooler | 0.1°C 1.5°C milder | 1,157 mm |
| Les Auxons 19 km | Besançon | 25.7°C 1.3°C cooler | 0.1°C 1.5°C milder | 1,157 mm |
| Miserey-Salines 20 km | Besançon | 25.7°C 1.3°C cooler | 0.1°C 1.5°C milder | 1,157 mm |
| Vesoul 21 km | Vesoul Ville | 27.2°C about the same | −0.4°C 1°C milder | 1,008 mm |
| École-Valentin 21 km | Besançon | 25.7°C 1.3°C cooler | 0.1°C 1.5°C milder | 1,157 mm |
La Malachère weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Pouligney station; sunshine at Besançon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.5°C | −1.4°C | 2.5°C | 96 mm | 68 |
| February | 8.2°C | −1.4°C | 3.4°C | 90 mm | 97 |
| March | 12.6°C | 1.0°C | 6.8°C | 93 mm | 153 |
| April | 16.8°C | 3.4°C | 10.1°C | 88 mm | 184 |
| May | 20.8°C | 7.5°C | 14.2°C | 108 mm | 208 |
| June | 24.8°C | 11.1°C | 18.0°C | 97 mm | 231 |
| July | 27.0°C | 12.8°C | 19.9°C | 97 mm | 249 |
| August | 26.9°C | 12.5°C | 19.7°C | 96 mm | 237 |
| September | 22.1°C | 8.9°C | 15.5°C | 99 mm | 184 |
| October | 16.9°C | 5.9°C | 11.4°C | 115 mm | 132 |
| November | 10.9°C | 2.1°C | 6.5°C | 116 mm | 75 |
| December | 7.1°C | −0.4°C | 3.4°C | 121 mm | 56 |
| Year | 16.7°C | 5.2°C | 10.9°C | 1,215 mm | 1,873 |
Where La Malachère’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Pouligney, 16 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, 23 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 Haute-Saône.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about La Malachère’s climate
How warm does La Malachère get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 27.0°C. About 77 days a year reach 25°C, more than 70% of mainland French towns, and about 27 reach 30°C.
How cold does La Malachère get in winter?
January nights average −1.4°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 90 nights a year, and about 7 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does La Malachère get?
About 1,215 mm a year, more than 97% of mainland French towns. December is the wettest month (121 mm) and April the driest (88 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Besançon (23 km away), averages 1,873 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for La Malachère itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to La Malachère, Pouligney, 16 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 POULIGNEY, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for La Malachère →
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.