Lavieu has colder winter nights than 95% of mainland French towns
Expect July afternoons of about 24.9°C. Of the 53 towns of 2,500+ in Loire, it has the coolest July afternoons. Temperatures cover 26°C across the year, low to high. Plan for rain on about 114 days a year, the days with 1 mm or more.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Saint-Bonnet-le-Château station, 12 km south.
A year in Lavieu at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Saint-Bonnet-le-Château station.
What a year in Lavieu feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Bonnet-le-Château.
About 852 mm of rain a year
May is the wettest month and February the driest. About 25 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 6th wettest of 53 towns of 2,500+ in Loire.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon
A frosty town: 79 frosts and 49 days of 25°C a year
On about 79 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 13 days it stays below freezing all day. About 49 days a year reach 25°C, and 12 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Bonnet-le-Château: 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 Saint-Bonnet-le-Château
Saint-Bonnet-le-Château is 12 km south of Lavieu. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Lavieu itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Saint-Bonnet-le-Château (42204002) |
| Distance from the town | 12 km south |
| Station altitude | 822 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 694 m |
| Period | 1993–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Nearest station of any kind | 10 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 20 km away |
Lavieu sits 128 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Lavieu to run about 0.8°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 Lavieu 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 Loire.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavieu | Saint-Bonnet-le-Château | 24.9°C | −1.2°C | 852 mm |
| Saint-Romain-le-Puy 7.1 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 1.6°C warmer | −1.0°C about the same | 665 mm |
| Montbrison 7.9 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 1.6°C warmer | −1.0°C about the same | 665 mm |
| Savigneux 9 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 1.6°C warmer | −1.0°C about the same | 665 mm |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez 11 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 2°C warmer | 0.3°C 1.5°C milder | 728 mm |
| Sury-le-Comtal 12 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 2°C warmer | 0.3°C 1.5°C milder | 728 mm |
| Bonson 14 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 2°C warmer | 0.3°C 1.5°C milder | 728 mm |
Lavieu weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Saint-Bonnet-le-Château station; sunshine at Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.7°C | −1.2°C | 2.2°C | 56 mm | 81 |
| February | 6.8°C | −1.1°C | 2.8°C | 45 mm | 109 |
| March | 10.8°C | 1.2°C | 6.0°C | 49 mm | 162 |
| April | 14.1°C | 3.8°C | 8.9°C | 68 mm | 186 |
| May | 18.2°C | 7.4°C | 12.8°C | 93 mm | 214 |
| June | 22.5°C | 11.0°C | 16.8°C | 77 mm | 241 |
| July | 24.9°C | 12.8°C | 18.8°C | 82 mm | 275 |
| August | 24.6°C | 12.7°C | 18.7°C | 77 mm | 259 |
| September | 19.7°C | 9.3°C | 14.5°C | 79 mm | 193 |
| October | 15.3°C | 6.8°C | 11.0°C | 85 mm | 135 |
| November | 9.3°C | 2.2°C | 5.7°C | 84 mm | 88 |
| December | 6.5°C | −0.3°C | 3.1°C | 58 mm | 76 |
| Year | 14.9°C | 5.4°C | 10.1°C | 852 mm | 2,018 |
Where Lavieu’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, 12 km away: statistics for 1991–2020 (the station’s own years, 1993–2020, 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, Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 20 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 Loire.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Lavieu’s climate
How warm does Lavieu get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24.9°C. About 49 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 69% of mainland French towns, and about 12 reach 30°C.
How cold does Lavieu get in winter?
January nights average −1.2°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 79 nights a year, and about 13 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Lavieu get?
About 852 mm a year, more than 70% of mainland French towns. May is the wettest month (93 mm) and February the driest (45 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon (20 km away), averages 2,018 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Lavieu itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Lavieu, Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, 12 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 ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Lavieu →
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.