Few mainland French towns have cooler summers than La Grave
Nights in January average −5.5°C. A year here swings 24°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Frosty nights outnumber those of almost every mainland French town. Frost greets about 160 mornings a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Figures from Météo-France’s Alpe-D’Huez station, 18 km west.
A year in La Grave at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Alpe-D’Huez station.
What a year in La Grave feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Alpe-D’Huez.
About 995 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and April the driest. About 33 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 7 towns of 2,500+ in Hautes-Alpes.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Villar-Saint-Pancrace
A frosty town: 160 frosts and 2 days of 25°C a year
On about 160 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 42 days it stays below freezing all day. About 2 days a year reach 25°C, and 0 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Alpe-D’Huez: 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 Alpe-D’Huez
Alpe-D’Huez is 18 km west of La Grave. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in La Grave itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Alpe-D’Huez (38191002) |
| Distance from the town | 18 km west |
| Station altitude | 1,860 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,762 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Nearest station of any kind | 5.1 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Villar-Saint-Pancrace, 33 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 Grave 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 Hautes-Alpes.
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 Grave | Alpe-D’Huez | 17.7°C | −5.5°C | 995 mm |
| Le Bourg-d'Oisans 21 km | Saint-Michel Maur | 27.4°C 9.7°C warmer | −2.8°C 2.7°C milder | 754 mm |
| Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 25 km | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne | 27.4°C 9.7°C warmer | −1.9°C 3.6°C milder | 911 mm |
La Grave weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Alpe-D’Huez station; sunshine at Villar-Saint-Pancrace.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.0°C | −5.5°C | −1.8°C | 84 mm | 126 |
| February | 2.0°C | −6.3°C | −2.1°C | 63 mm | 131 |
| March | 4.2°C | −3.9°C | 0.1°C | 74 mm | 165 |
| April | 6.5°C | −1.0°C | 2.8°C | 61 mm | 193 |
| May | 11.0°C | 3.0°C | 7.0°C | 84 mm | 217 |
| June | 15.1°C | 6.7°C | 10.9°C | 82 mm | 245 |
| July | 17.7°C | 8.7°C | 13.2°C | 74 mm | 270 |
| August | 17.7°C | 9.1°C | 13.4°C | 84 mm | 250 |
| September | 13.7°C | 5.6°C | 9.7°C | 84 mm | 179 |
| October | 10.5°C | 2.9°C | 6.7°C | 97 mm | 139 |
| November | 5.5°C | −1.7°C | 1.9°C | 108 mm | 112 |
| December | 2.8°C | −4.5°C | −0.9°C | 100 mm | 109 |
| Year | 9.1°C | 1.1°C | 5.1°C | 995 mm | 2,135 |
Where La Grave’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Alpe-D’Huez, 18 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, Villar-Saint-Pancrace, 33 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 Hautes-Alpes.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about La Grave’s climate
How warm does La Grave get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 17.7°C. About 2 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than almost every mainland French town, and about 0 reach 30°C.
How cold does La Grave get in winter?
February nights average −6.3°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 160 nights a year, and about 42 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does La Grave get?
About 995 mm a year, more than 87% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (108 mm) and April the driest (61 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Villar-Saint-Pancrace (33 km away), averages 2,135 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for La Grave itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to La Grave, Alpe-D’Huez, 18 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 ALPE-D'HUEZ, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for La Grave →
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.