Bessay has milder winter nights than 80% of mainland French towns
July afternoons average 26.1°C. It is a wet place: more rain falls here than on 62% of mainland French towns. Seasons differ by 23°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 10°C.
Figures from Météo-France’s Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine station, 11 km south.
A year in Bessay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low in °C, at the Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine station.
What a year in Bessay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine.
About 809 mm of rain a year
October is the wettest month and June the driest. About 25 days a year bring 10 mm or more. 49th wettest of 75 towns of 2,500+ in Vendée.
Rain by month
Millimeters
Sunshine by month
Hours of sunshine at La Roche-sur-Yon
30 frosts and 63 days of 25°C a year
On about 30 nights a year the air drops to 0°C or below, and on about under 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 63 days a year reach 25°C, and 18 reach 30°C.
Day counts are Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine: 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 Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine
Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine is 11 km south of Bessay. Every figure on this page is the station’s, not a measurement in Bessay itself.
| Station (Météo-France number) | Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine (85216001) |
| Distance from the town | 11 km south |
| Station altitude | 3 m |
| Town altitude (its center) | 38 m |
| Period | 1991–2020 |
| Sunshine measured at | La Roche-sur-Yon, 25 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 Bessay 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 Vendée.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bessay | Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine | 26.1°C | 3.3°C | 809 mm |
| Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais 4.6 km | same station | 26.1°C about the same | 3.3°C about the same | 809 mm |
| Saint-Jean-d'Hermine 7 km | same station | 26.1°C about the same | 3.3°C about the same | 809 mm |
| Luçon 8.8 km | same station | 26.1°C about the same | 3.3°C about the same | 809 mm |
| Bournezeau 11 km | La Roche-sur-Yon | 24.9°C 1.2°C cooler | 3.2°C about the same | 886 mm |
| Rives de l'Yon 15 km | La Roche-sur-Yon | 24.9°C 1.2°C cooler | 3.2°C about the same | 886 mm |
| La Chaize-le-Vicomte 18 km | La Roche-sur-Yon | 24.9°C 1.2°C cooler | 3.2°C about the same | 886 mm |
Bessay weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, at the Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine station; sunshine at La Roche-sur-Yon.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.6°C | 3.3°C | 6.4°C | 82 mm | 74 |
| February | 10.8°C | 2.9°C | 6.8°C | 61 mm | 106 |
| March | 14.1°C | 4.7°C | 9.4°C | 61 mm | 151 |
| April | 16.8°C | 6.4°C | 11.6°C | 61 mm | 184 |
| May | 20.5°C | 9.9°C | 15.2°C | 58 mm | 211 |
| June | 24.0°C | 12.7°C | 18.4°C | 41 mm | 229 |
| July | 26.1°C | 14.0°C | 20.1°C | 44 mm | 241 |
| August | 26.3°C | 13.9°C | 20.1°C | 47 mm | 236 |
| September | 23.3°C | 11.4°C | 17.3°C | 71 mm | 199 |
| October | 18.5°C | 9.4°C | 14.0°C | 95 mm | 129 |
| November | 13.4°C | 5.8°C | 9.6°C | 94 mm | 89 |
| December | 10.1°C | 3.5°C | 6.8°C | 94 mm | 74 |
| Year | 17.8°C | 8.2°C | 13.0°C | 809 mm | 1,922 |
Where Bessay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Temperature, rain and day counts: Météo-France’s fiche climatologique for Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine, 11 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, La Roche-sur-Yon, 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 Vendée.
Météo-France fiches climatologiques · IGN RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Questions about Bessay’s climate
How warm does Bessay get in summer?
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 26.3°C. About 63 days a year reach 25°C, more than 54% of mainland French towns, and about 18 reach 30°C.
How cold does Bessay get in winter?
February nights average 2.9°C. The air drops to 0°C or below on about 30 nights a year, and about under 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Bessay get?
About 809 mm a year, more than 62% of mainland French towns. October is the wettest month (95 mm) and June the driest (41 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Météo-France station that records sunshine, La Roche-sur-Yon (25 km away), averages 1,922 hours of sunshine a year.
Are these figures for Bessay itself?
No: they are the normals of the Météo-France station matched to Bessay, Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine, 11 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 SAINTE GEMME LA PLAINE_SAPC, edited 15/10/2026); altitude: IGN, RGE ALTI®. Licence Ouverte 2.0. Today’s forecast for Bessay →
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.