Few mainland French towns have cooler summers than Bellecombe
On a normal January night the air cools to about −4.2°C. Rain is plentiful here, more than falls on almost every mainland French town. Temperatures cover 25°C across the year, low to high. Plan time outside from June to August, when highs sit at 18–20°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s La Pesse station, 5.3 km west.
A year in Bellecombe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the La Pesse station.
What a year in Bellecombe feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at La Pesse.
About 1,660 mm of rain a year
May is the wettest month and February the driest. About 59 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 3rd wettest of 11 towns of 2,500+ in Jura.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Meythet
A frosty town: 128 frosts and 12 days of 25°C a year
On about 128 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 30 days it stays below freezing all day. About 12 days a year reach 25°C, and 1 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at La Pesse: 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 La Pesse
La Pesse is 5.3 km west of Bellecombe. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Bellecombe itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | La Pesse (39413001) |
| Distance from the town | 5.3 km west |
| Station altitude | 1,133 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,257 m |
| Period | 1996–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Sunshine measured at | Meythet, 45 km away |
Bellecombe sits 124 m higher than the station. Air usually cools by about 0.65°C every 100 m, so expect Bellecombe to run about 0.8°C cooler than these figures.
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 Bellecombe 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 Jura.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellecombe | La Pesse | 20.0°C | −4.2°C | 1,660 mm |
| Saint-Claude 9.2 km | Saint-Claude | 26.9°C 6.9°C warmer | −2.3°C 1.9°C milder | 1,869 mm |
| Thoiry 10 km | Archamps | 26.4°C 6.4°C warmer | −1.0°C 3.2°C milder | 1,170 mm |
| Saint-Genis-Pouilly 12 km | Gaillard | 27.6°C 7.6°C warmer | −1.1°C 3.1°C milder | 967 mm |
| Gex 12 km | Saint-Claude | 26.9°C 6.9°C warmer | −2.3°C 1.9°C milder | 1,869 mm |
| Cessy 13 km | Archamps | 26.4°C 6.4°C warmer | −1.0°C 3.2°C milder | 1,170 mm |
| Ségny 13 km | Gaillard | 27.6°C 7.6°C warmer | −1.1°C 3.1°C milder | 967 mm |
Bellecombe weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the La Pesse station; sunshine at Meythet.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.0°C | −4.2°C | −0.6°C | 119 mm | 88 |
| February | 3.2°C | −4.7°C | −0.8°C | 104 mm | 113 |
| March | 6.8°C | −1.7°C | 2.5°C | 116 mm | 174 |
| April | 10.6°C | 1.3°C | 6.0°C | 131 mm | 191 |
| May | 14.3°C | 5.1°C | 9.7°C | 166 mm | 220 |
| June | 18.3°C | 8.5°C | 13.4°C | 145 mm | 256 |
| July | 20.0°C | 10.1°C | 15.1°C | 151 mm | 274 |
| August | 19.9°C | 10.1°C | 15.0°C | 145 mm | 249 |
| September | 16.1°C | 6.8°C | 11.5°C | 121 mm | 195 |
| October | 12.3°C | 4.1°C | 8.2°C | 158 mm | 141 |
| November | 6.7°C | −0.6°C | 3.1°C | 158 mm | 91 |
| December | 3.7°C | −3.4°C | 0.1°C | 146 mm | 78 |
| Year | 11.2°C | 2.6°C | 6.9°C | 1,660 mm | 2,069 |
Where Bellecombe’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for La Pesse, 5.3 km away: statistics for 1991–2020 (the station’s own years, 1996–2020, where its record is shorter).
- 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, Meythet, 45 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 Jura.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Bellecombe’s climate
How warm does Bellecombe get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 20.0°C. About 12 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 98% of mainland French towns, and about 1 reach 30°C.
How cold does Bellecombe get in winter?
February nights average −4.7°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 128 nights a year, and about 30 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Bellecombe get?
About 1,660 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. May is the wettest month (166 mm) and February the driest (104 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Meythet (45 km away), averages 2,069 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Bellecombe itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Bellecombe, La Pesse, 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 LA PESSE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Bellecombe →
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.