Few mainland French towns have cooler summers than Montarcher
January mornings start at about −3.2°C. Frost is common: about 117 nights a year drop below freezing, more than in almost every mainland French town. Rain peaks in November and eases off in March. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 17–20°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Saint-Anthème station, 16 km north-west.
A year in Montarcher at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Saint-Anthème station.
What a year in Montarcher feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Anthème.
About 1,347 mm of rain a year
November is the wettest month and March the driest. About 46 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: 117 frosts and 11 days of 25°C a year
On about 117 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 33 days it stays below freezing all day. About 11 days a year reach 25°C, and under 1 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Anthème: 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-Anthème
Saint-Anthème is 16 km north-west of Montarcher. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Montarcher itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Saint-Anthème (63319002) |
| Distance from the town | 16 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 1,263 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 1,106 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Nearest station of any kind | 6.3 km |
| Sunshine measured at | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon, 25 km away |
Montarcher sits 157 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Montarcher to run about 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 Montarcher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montarcher | Saint-Anthème | 19.7°C | −3.2°C | 1,347 mm |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez 14 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 7.2°C warmer | 0.3°C 3.5°C milder | 728 mm |
| Saint-Romain-le-Puy 15 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 6.8°C warmer | −1.0°C 2.2°C milder | 665 mm |
| Sury-le-Comtal 17 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 7.2°C warmer | 0.3°C 3.5°C milder | 728 mm |
| Montbrison 17 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 6.8°C warmer | −1.0°C 2.2°C milder | 665 mm |
| Savigneux 18 km | Savigneux | 26.5°C 6.8°C warmer | −1.0°C 2.2°C milder | 665 mm |
| Bonson 19 km | Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon | 26.9°C 7.2°C warmer | 0.3°C 3.5°C milder | 728 mm |
Montarcher weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Saint-Anthème station; sunshine at Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5°C | −3.2°C | −0.3°C | 103 mm | 81 |
| February | 2.9°C | −3.4°C | −0.2°C | 90 mm | 109 |
| March | 6.3°C | −1.1°C | 2.6°C | 88 mm | 162 |
| April | 9.3°C | 1.3°C | 5.3°C | 117 mm | 186 |
| May | 13.4°C | 4.9°C | 9.2°C | 132 mm | 214 |
| June | 17.4°C | 8.4°C | 12.9°C | 114 mm | 241 |
| July | 19.7°C | 10.3°C | 15.0°C | 114 mm | 275 |
| August | 19.7°C | 10.5°C | 15.1°C | 110 mm | 259 |
| September | 15.3°C | 7.2°C | 11.3°C | 105 mm | 193 |
| October | 11.3°C | 4.4°C | 7.9°C | 121 mm | 135 |
| November | 5.9°C | 0.2°C | 3.0°C | 139 mm | 88 |
| December | 3.3°C | −2.2°C | 0.5°C | 115 mm | 76 |
| Year | 10.6°C | 3.1°C | 6.9°C | 1,347 mm | 2,018 |
Where Montarcher’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Saint-Anthème, 16 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, 25 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 Montarcher’s climate
How warm does Montarcher get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 19.7°C. About 11 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than almost every mainland French town, and about under 1 reach 30°C.
How cold does Montarcher get in winter?
February nights average −3.4°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 117 nights a year, and about 33 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Montarcher get?
About 1,347 mm a year, more than 98% of mainland French towns. November is the wettest month (139 mm) and March the driest (88 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon (25 km away), averages 2,018 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Montarcher itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Montarcher, Saint-Anthème, 16 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-ANTHEME, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Montarcher →
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.