Few mainland French towns get more frosts than Sainte-Catherine
Expect July afternoons of about 21.8°C. Winter and summer sit 25°C apart. Of the 44 towns of 2,500+ in Puy-de-Dôme, it has the coolest July afternoons. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 10°C.
These are the figures of Météo-France’s Saint-Germain-l He station, 4.3 km east.
A year in Sainte-Catherine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Saint-Germain-l He station.
What a year in Sainte-Catherine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Germain-l He.
About 1,067 mm of rain a year
May is the wettest month and February the driest. About 34 days a year bring 10 mm or more. The wettest of 44 towns of 2,500+ in Puy-de-Dôme.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at Saint-Germain-l He
A frosty town: 108 frosts and 25 days of 25°C a year
On about 108 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about 26 days it stays below freezing all day. About 25 days a year reach 25°C, and 4 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saint-Germain-l He: 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-Germain-l He
Saint-Germain-l He is 4.3 km east of Sainte-Catherine. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Sainte-Catherine itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Saint-Germain-l He (63353003) |
| Distance from the town | 4.3 km east |
| Station altitude | 1,070 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 877 m |
| Period | 1997–2020 (the station’s own record) |
| Sunshine measured at | the same station |
Sainte-Catherine sits 193 m lower than the station. Air usually warms by about 0.65°C every 100 m you go down, so expect Sainte-Catherine to run about 1.3°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 Sainte-Catherine 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 Puy-de-Dôme.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Catherine | Saint-Germain-l He | 21.8°C | −2.7°C | 1,067 mm |
| Brassac-les-Mines 13 km | Fontannes | 27.8°C 6°C warmer | −0.7°C 2°C milder | 612 mm |
| Sainte-Florine 14 km | Fontannes | 27.8°C 6°C warmer | −0.7°C 2°C milder | 612 mm |
| Brioude 19 km | Fontannes | 27.8°C 6°C warmer | −0.7°C 2°C milder | 612 mm |
| Issoire 21 km | Issoire | 27.7°C 5.9°C warmer | −0.1°C 2.6°C milder | 611 mm |
| Ambert 24 km | Ambert | 26.0°C 4.2°C warmer | −1.9°C 0.8°C milder | 860 mm |
Sainte-Catherine weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Saint-Germain-l He station.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.6°C | −2.7°C | 0.4°C | 70 mm | 83 |
| February | 4.2°C | −3.0°C | 0.6°C | 59 mm | 106 |
| March | 8.1°C | −0.5°C | 3.8°C | 67 mm | 160 |
| April | 11.5°C | 2.1°C | 6.8°C | 99 mm | 176 |
| May | 15.4°C | 5.6°C | 10.5°C | 123 mm | 182 |
| June | 19.7°C | 9.0°C | 14.4°C | 87 mm | 214 |
| July | 21.8°C | 10.6°C | 16.2°C | 91 mm | 242 |
| August | 21.8°C | 10.7°C | 16.2°C | 106 mm | 230 |
| September | 17.7°C | 7.6°C | 12.7°C | 92 mm | 188 |
| October | 13.2°C | 5.1°C | 9.2°C | 98 mm | 130 |
| November | 7.3°C | 0.7°C | 4.0°C | 99 mm | 82 |
| December | 4.5°C | −1.8°C | 1.3°C | 78 mm | 76 |
| Year | 12.4°C | 3.6°C | 8.0°C | 1,067 mm | 1,869 |
Where Sainte-Catherine’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Saint-Germain-l He, 4.3 km away: statistics for 1991–2020 (the station’s own years, 1997–2020, 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-Germain-l He, 4.3 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 Puy-de-Dôme.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Sainte-Catherine’s climate
How warm does Sainte-Catherine get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 21.8°C. About 25 days a year reach 25°C, fewer than 93% of mainland French towns, and about 4 reach 30°C.
How cold does Sainte-Catherine get in winter?
February nights average −3.0°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 108 nights a year, and about 26 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Sainte-Catherine get?
About 1,067 mm a year, more than 90% of mainland French towns. May is the wettest month (123 mm) and February the driest (59 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, Saint-Germain-l He (4.3 km away), averages 1,869 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Sainte-Catherine itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Germain-l He, 4.3 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 ST-GERMAIN-L HE, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Sainte-Catherine →
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.