January in Donnelay bites harder than in 87% of mainland French towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 25.8°C. Warm afternoons come less often than in 62% of mainland French towns. Wet weather is most frequent in December and least in April. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 10°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Nancy-Essey station, 35 km west: at that distance, read them as the area’s climate rather than the town’s.
A year in Donnelay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Nancy-Essey station.
What a year in Donnelay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Nancy-Essey.
About 746 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and April the driest. About 21 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 38th wettest of 80 towns of 2,500+ in Moselle.
Rain by month
Millimeters
A frosty town: 63 frosts and 55 days of 25°C a year
On about 63 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 10 days it stays below freezing all day. About 55 days a year reach 25°C, and 15 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Nancy-Essey: 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 Nancy-Essey
Nancy-Essey is 35 km west of Donnelay. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Donnelay itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Nancy-Essey (54526001) |
| Distance from the town | 35 km west |
| Station altitude | 212 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 227 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Nearest station of any kind | 17 km |
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 Donnelay 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 Moselle.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnelay | Nancy-Essey | 25.8°C | −0.2°C | 746 mm |
| Dieuze 6.9 km | same station | 25.8°C about the same | −0.2°C about the same | 746 mm |
| Morhange 19 km | Aéroport Metz-Nancy-Lorraine | 25.1°C 0.7°C cooler | −0.5°C about the same | 679 mm |
| Lunéville 23 km | same station | 25.8°C about the same | −0.2°C about the same | 746 mm |
| Sarrebourg 27 km | Phalsbourg | 24.3°C 1.5°C cooler | −0.7°C about the same | 865 mm |
| Dombasle-sur-Meurthe 28 km | same station | 25.8°C about the same | −0.2°C about the same | 746 mm |
Donnelay weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Nancy-Essey station.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.4°C | −0.2°C | 2.6°C | 64 mm |
| February | 7.1°C | 0.0°C | 3.5°C | 55 mm |
| March | 11.6°C | 2.1°C | 6.9°C | 54 mm |
| April | 15.8°C | 4.5°C | 10.2°C | 44 mm |
| May | 19.8°C | 8.7°C | 14.2°C | 68 mm |
| June | 23.5°C | 12.2°C | 17.9°C | 56 mm |
| July | 25.8°C | 14.2°C | 20.0°C | 63 mm |
| August | 25.4°C | 13.9°C | 19.6°C | 67 mm |
| September | 20.9°C | 10.2°C | 15.6°C | 61 mm |
| October | 15.5°C | 7.1°C | 11.3°C | 67 mm |
| November | 9.4°C | 3.4°C | 6.4°C | 69 mm |
| December | 6.0°C | 1.0°C | 3.5°C | 78 mm |
| Year | 15.5°C | 6.4°C | 11.0°C | 746 mm |
Where Donnelay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Nancy-Essey, 35 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.
- Comparisons: every town of 2,500 or more in mainland France, read the same way; the dots are the towns of 2,500+ in Moselle.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Donnelay’s climate
How warm does Donnelay get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 25.8°C. About 55 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 62% of mainland French towns, and about 15 reach 30°C.
How cold does Donnelay get in winter?
January nights average −0.2°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 63 nights a year, and about 10 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Donnelay get?
About 746 mm a year, less than 53% of mainland French towns. December is the wettest month (78 mm) and April the driest (44 mm).
Are these figures for Donnelay itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Donnelay, Nancy-Essey, 35 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 NANCY-ESSEY, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Donnelay →
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.