Few mainland French towns get more frosts than Le Bessat
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 23.2°C. Of the 53 towns of 2,500+ in Loire, it is the wettest. October is the wettest month, February the driest. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 21–23°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Tarentaise station, 1.3 km west.
A year in Le Bessat at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Tarentaise station.
What a year in Le Bessat feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Tarentaise.
About 1,128 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and February the driest. About 35 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The 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: 108 frosts and 35 days of 25°C a year
On about 108 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 23 days it stays below freezing all day. About 35 days a year reach 25°C, and 5 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Tarentaise: 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 Tarentaise
Tarentaise is 1.3 km west of Le Bessat. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Le Bessat itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Tarentaise (42306001) |
| Distance from the town | 1.3 km west |
| Station altitude | 1,090 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,167 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 26 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 Le Bessat 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. Where a neighbor uses the same station its figures are the same: the differences you’d feel over a few kilometers aren’t in the normals.
| Town | Station | July high | January low | Rain a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Bessat | Tarentaise | 23.2°C | −2.6°C | 1,128 mm |
| Saint-Genest-Malifaux 7.7 km | same station | 23.2°C about the same | −2.6°C about the same | 1,128 mm |
| Bourg-Argental 8.7 km | Préaux Sa | 26.8°C 3.6°C warmer | 0.7°C 3.3°C milder | 870 mm |
| Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds 11 km | Saint-Didier-River | 25.5°C 2.3°C warmer | 0.5°C 3.1°C milder | 856 mm |
| Saint-Chamond 11 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 3.7°C warmer | 0.3°C 2.9°C milder | 728 mm |
| Saint-Étienne 12 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 3.7°C warmer | 0.3°C 2.9°C milder | 728 mm |
| La Ricamarie 12 km | Saint-Didier-River | 25.5°C 2.3°C warmer | 0.5°C 3.1°C milder | 856 mm |
Le Bessat weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Tarentaise station; sunshine at Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.3°C | −2.6°C | 0.8°C | 76 mm | 81 |
| February | 5.0°C | −2.8°C | 1.1°C | 60 mm | 109 |
| March | 8.8°C | −0.4°C | 4.2°C | 65 mm | 162 |
| April | 12.1°C | 2.0°C | 7.1°C | 99 mm | 186 |
| May | 16.2°C | 5.8°C | 11.0°C | 122 mm | 214 |
| June | 20.6°C | 9.3°C | 15.0°C | 97 mm | 241 |
| July | 23.2°C | 11.1°C | 17.1°C | 94 mm | 275 |
| August | 23.1°C | 11.1°C | 17.1°C | 84 mm | 259 |
| September | 18.3°C | 7.9°C | 13.1°C | 103 mm | 193 |
| October | 13.7°C | 5.3°C | 9.5°C | 127 mm | 135 |
| November | 7.9°C | 1.0°C | 4.5°C | 126 mm | 88 |
| December | 5.0°C | −1.6°C | 1.7°C | 77 mm | 76 |
| Year | 13.2°C | 3.8°C | 8.5°C | 1,128 mm | 2,018 |
Where Le Bessat’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Tarentaise, 1.3 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, Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 26 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 Le Bessat’s climate
How warm does Le Bessat get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23.2°C. About 35 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 86% of mainland French towns, and about 5 reach 30°C.
How cold does Le Bessat get in winter?
February nights average −2.8°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 108 nights a year, and about 23 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Le Bessat get?
About 1,128 mm a year, more than 93% of mainland French towns. October is the wettest month (127 mm) and February the driest (60 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon (26 km away), averages 2,018 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Le Bessat itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Le Bessat, Tarentaise, 1.3 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 TARENTAISE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Le Bessat →
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.