Nights turn raw in Merle-Leignec each January, colder than in 95% of mainland French towns
Sunny July days climb to about 24.9°C. Seasons differ by 26°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. None of the 53 towns of 2,500+ in Loire has cooler July afternoons. Expect about 79 frosty starts a year, nights when the air falls below freezing.
Figures from Météo-France’s Saint-Bonnet-le-Château station, 7.6 km north-east.
A year in Merle-Leignec at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Saint-Bonnet-le-Château station.
What a year in Merle-Leignec 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 7.6 km north-east of Merle-Leignec. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Merle-Leignec itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Saint-Bonnet-le-Château (42204002) |
| Distance from the town | 7.6 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 822 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 939 m |
| Period | 1993–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Sunshine measured at | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 28 km away |
Merle-Leignec sits 117 m higher than the station. Air usually cools by about 0.65°C every 100 m, so expect Merle-Leignec 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 Merle-Leignec 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merle-Leignec | Saint-Bonnet-le-Château | 24.9°C | −1.2°C | 852 mm |
| Bas-en-Basset 11 km | Bas-en-Basset | 28.0°C 3.1°C warmer | −1.7°C 0.5°C colder | 754 mm |
| Aurec-sur-Loire 14 km | Bas-en-Basset | 28.0°C 3.1°C warmer | −1.7°C 0.5°C colder | 754 mm |
| Beauzac 15 km | Tiranges | 27.0°C 2.1°C warmer | −1.5°C about the same | 759 mm |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire 15 km | Tiranges | 27.0°C 2.1°C warmer | −1.5°C about the same | 759 mm |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez 17 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 2°C warmer | 0.3°C 1.5°C milder | 728 mm |
| Retournac 18 km | Tiranges | 27.0°C 2.1°C warmer | −1.5°C about the same | 759 mm |
Merle-Leignec 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 Merle-Leignec’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, 7.6 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, 28 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 Merle-Leignec’s climate
How warm does Merle-Leignec 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 Merle-Leignec 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 Merle-Leignec 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 (28 km away), averages 2,018 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Merle-Leignec itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Merle-Leignec, Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, 7.6 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 Merle-Leignec →
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.