Foncine-le-Bas sits near the top of mainland French towns for rain, with 1,787 mm a year
In January the night’s low is typically −3.9°C. Frosty nights outnumber those of almost every mainland French town. Rain peaks in December and eases off in April. Gritters and ice scrapers earn their keep on roughly 127 nights a year below 0°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Cerniébaud station, 13 km north-east.
A year in Foncine-le-Bas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Cerniébaud station.
What a year in Foncine-le-Bas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Cerniébaud.
About 1,787 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 66 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 Tavaux Sa
A frosty town: 127 frosts and 27 days of 25°C a year
On about 127 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 20 days it stays below freezing all day. About 27 days a year reach 25°C, and 4 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Cerniébaud: 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 Cerniébaud
Cerniébaud is 13 km north-east of Foncine-le-Bas. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Foncine-le-Bas itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Cerniébaud (39085002) |
| Distance from the town | 13 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 966 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 800 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Tavaux Sa, 65 km away |
Foncine-le-Bas sits 166 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Foncine-le-Bas to run about 1.1°C warmer 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 Foncine-le-Bas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foncine-le-Bas | Cerniébaud | 22.0°C | −3.9°C | 1,787 mm |
| Hauts de Bienne 13 km | Saint-Claude | 26.9°C 4.9°C warmer | −2.3°C 1.6°C milder | 1,869 mm |
| Champagnole 16 km | Champagnole | 24.8°C 2.8°C warmer | −3.1°C 0.8°C milder | 1,573 mm |
| Les Rousses 17 km | La Pesse | 20.0°C 2°C cooler | −4.2°C about the same | 1,660 mm |
Foncine-le-Bas weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Cerniébaud station; sunshine at Tavaux Sa.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.1°C | −3.9°C | 0.1°C | 155 mm | 57 |
| February | 4.7°C | −4.2°C | 0.2°C | 133 mm | 100 |
| March | 8.4°C | −1.3°C | 3.6°C | 136 mm | 186 |
| April | 12.1°C | 1.6°C | 6.8°C | 130 mm | 215 |
| May | 16.0°C | 5.5°C | 10.8°C | 162 mm | 221 |
| June | 19.9°C | 8.8°C | 14.4°C | 142 mm | 252 |
| July | 22.0°C | 10.7°C | 16.4°C | 138 mm | 276 |
| August | 22.0°C | 10.6°C | 16.3°C | 136 mm | 251 |
| September | 17.6°C | 7.5°C | 12.6°C | 137 mm | 205 |
| October | 13.8°C | 4.3°C | 9.0°C | 166 mm | 128 |
| November | 8.1°C | −0.1°C | 4.0°C | 166 mm | 67 |
| December | 4.7°C | −3.0°C | 0.9°C | 185 mm | 54 |
| Year | 12.8°C | 3.0°C | 7.9°C | 1,787 mm | 2,012 |
Where Foncine-le-Bas’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Cerniébaud, 13 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, Tavaux Sa, 65 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 Foncine-le-Bas’s climate
How warm does Foncine-le-Bas get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22.0°C. About 27 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 93% of mainland French towns, and about 4 reach 30°C.
How cold does Foncine-le-Bas get in winter?
February nights average −4.2°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 127 nights a year, and about 20 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Foncine-le-Bas get?
About 1,787 mm a year, more than almost every mainland French town. December is the wettest month (185 mm) and April the driest (130 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Tavaux Sa (65 km away), averages 2,012 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Foncine-le-Bas itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Foncine-le-Bas, Cerniébaud, 13 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 CERNIEBAUD, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Foncine-le-Bas →
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.