Villard-Notre-Dame is among the frostiest of mainland French towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 22.2°C. Winter and summer sit 27°C apart. Its July afternoons are the coolest among its 6 nearest neighbors. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 10°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Besse station, 11 km north-east.
A year in Villard-Notre-Dame at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Besse station.
What a year in Villard-Notre-Dame feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Besse.
About 932 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 32 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 67th wettest of 110 towns of 2,500+ in Isère.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Villar-Saint-Pancrace
A frosty town: 134 frosts and 24 days of 25°C a year
On about 134 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 22 days it stays below freezing all day. About 24 days a year reach 25°C, and 1 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Besse: 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 Besse
Besse is 11 km north-east of Villard-Notre-Dame. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Villard-Notre-Dame itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Besse (38040001) |
| Distance from the town | 11 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 1,520 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,539 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Nearest station of any kind | 8.3 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Villar-Saint-Pancrace, 50 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 Villard-Notre-Dame 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 Isère.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villard-Notre-Dame | Besse | 22.2°C | −4.1°C | 932 mm |
| Le Bourg-d'Oisans 4.6 km | Saint-Michel Maur | 27.4°C 5.2°C warmer | −2.8°C 1.3°C milder | 754 mm |
| Vaulnaveys-le-Haut 21 km | Saint-Pierre-de-Soucy | 27.7°C 5.5°C warmer | −1.8°C 2.3°C milder | 1,122 mm |
| Saint-Martin-d'Uriage 22 km | Monestier | 25.0°C 2.8°C warmer | −2.1°C 2°C milder | 1,063 mm |
| Vizille 22 km | Chatte | 28.3°C 6.1°C warmer | −0.5°C 3.6°C milder | 968 mm |
| La Mure 24 km | Monestier | 25.0°C 2.8°C warmer | −2.1°C 2°C milder | 1,063 mm |
| Jarrie 25 km | Saint-Jean-en-Roya | 28.5°C 6.3°C warmer | −0.1°C 4°C milder | 1,136 mm |
Villard-Notre-Dame weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Besse station; sunshine at Villar-Saint-Pancrace.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.9°C | −4.1°C | −0.1°C | 85 mm | 126 |
| February | 4.5°C | −4.6°C | −0.1°C | 64 mm | 131 |
| March | 8.4°C | −1.6°C | 3.4°C | 69 mm | 165 |
| April | 11.6°C | 1.1°C | 6.4°C | 61 mm | 193 |
| May | 15.7°C | 4.9°C | 10.3°C | 76 mm | 217 |
| June | 19.8°C | 8.6°C | 14.2°C | 75 mm | 245 |
| July | 22.2°C | 10.4°C | 16.3°C | 69 mm | 270 |
| August | 22.2°C | 10.6°C | 16.4°C | 70 mm | 250 |
| September | 17.9°C | 7.2°C | 12.5°C | 73 mm | 179 |
| October | 13.7°C | 4.2°C | 9.0°C | 90 mm | 139 |
| November | 7.5°C | −0.4°C | 3.5°C | 98 mm | 112 |
| December | 4.5°C | −3.2°C | 0.7°C | 103 mm | 109 |
| Year | 12.7°C | 2.8°C | 7.7°C | 932 mm | 2,135 |
Where Villard-Notre-Dame’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Besse, 11 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, 50 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 Isère.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Villard-Notre-Dame’s climate
How warm does Villard-Notre-Dame get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.2°C. About 24 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 93% of mainland French towns, and about 1 reach 30°C.
How cold does Villard-Notre-Dame get in winter?
February nights average −4.6°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 134 nights a year, and about 22 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Villard-Notre-Dame get?
About 932 mm a year, more than 82% of mainland French towns. December is the wettest month (103 mm) and April the driest (61 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Villar-Saint-Pancrace (50 km away), averages 2,135 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Villard-Notre-Dame itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Villard-Notre-Dame, Besse, 11 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 BESSE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Villard-Notre-Dame →
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.