The Region - Climate
Chaillol in February
June near Poligny
Lac du Sautet in August
Autumn in Prapic
The region benefits from 300 days of sunshine every year.
We are in the mountains at an altitude of between 1000 and 3000 metres so it is generally cooler here than in Gap, our closest city. The rule of thumb as you climb higher into the mountains is that it gets 1 degree cooler every 100 metres.
We have snow in the winter - it usually starts falling in November and stays until the end of April. And it can get very cold. The coldest day last year was -20 degrees centigrade. But it's a dry cold so you can't really compare it to the Uk whcih is a damp cold. A dry cold doesn't get into your bones as much as a damp cold. The coldest month is January - it's also the month with the best snow!
In April the snow starts to melt and by May the spring flowers are starting to appear. The weather in May can be a bit unpredictable, some rain, sometimes even some snow interspersed with hot sunny days. However, it is a very pretty time to come as the spring flowers start to appear.
June is a fantastic month to visit, the weather has usually settled down so you generally get clear sunny days but it's not too hot. The spring flowers are well established and it's also the month with the longest days!
It can be very hot in the summer up to 35 degrees centigrade, but you have the benefit of altitude and mountain fresh air so it doesn't feel at all claustrophobic. In fact it is very pleasant and you can always cool off in the rivers and lakes. The weather also cools itself down with the occassional mighty thunder storm, which are very spectacular!
By September it is starting to cool down but is still a perfect temperature for outdoor activties. October starts to get colder and the autumn colours here are spectacular. You very often get beautiful clear blue skies and cool crisp air - perfect conditions for walking or mountain biking in the mountains and seeing all the colours.
November can be cold and sometimes rainy, but again you also get the clear blue skies and crisp air. It's usually when the first snow arrives. The snow comes and goes in November. It's not usually until the middle or end of December that there is enough of a base layer for it to stay. (Of course this depends on the year and some years have more snow than others!!). Most of the ski stations have snow canons though so Christmas skiing is guaranteed.
For current local weather forecasts click here. It is for Orcieres which is the main ski resprt at the end of the valley. It is also good to look at Embrun and Briancon which are nearby to get a good feel for the weather here. You just type in the city names at the bottom. It's in french but is easy to work out what it means from the pictures and numbers!
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