Nantes Climate - Pays de la Loire

With regards to Nantes' climograph, which can be seen if you scroll down with your mouse to the end of this blog post, it has to be said that the principles that follow are much the same as those of the previously discussed Segovia (in the entry Chañeros por el mundo, hoy Europa). To indicate the temperatures of each month of the year, a continuous line is used to mark the degrees on the left hand side of the graph, in this case degrees centigrade “ºC”, (which we use) and in degrees Fahrenheit “ºF”, utilised in other places like the US. The precipitation is measured in "mm" or millimetres per square metre, throughout a month in this case, which is the same. Of course, the twelve months of the year are shown below, which helps us to evaluate the evolution of the climate.

The climograph was taken from a webpage, which I hope is as trustworthy as it seemed to me. The Nantes climate is an oceanic climate, highly influenced by the city's proximity to the sea. This suggests that it will be a rainy climate (which it is) and that the temperatures won't face sharp drops, meaning that snow or finding ourselves in sub zero temperatures is a slim possibility. That being said, let't start to analyse the climograph.

There is little range across Nantes and the regional temperatures, there is a year round average of 12 degrees, reaching a maximum average of 16. 3 degrees and a minimum average of 7. 8 degrees. The warmest months, July & August, when with the arrival of the summer the average temperature rises to almost 20 degrees, and alternately the coldest months are December and January whose average temperatures fall around 5 degrees, yet without severe frosts or days of extreme cold. Although it has to be mentioned that the winter brings the cold's main allies the wind and the rain from the Atlantic Ocean who provoke a thermal effect that is it more cold that the thermometer might indicate. From April to October the thermometer, (still referring to averages) doesn't go below 10 degrees, whereas on the other hand the remaining months, November to March, the thermometer doesn't tend to go above 10 degrees. The winter sun can be made out with difficulty, given that the sky is covered for the majority of the time and the small gaps left between the clouds don't really allow the warmth of the sun to pass through and raise the temperature. In comparison with the other large cities in France located in different climates such as Marseilles, there is a marked difference in the sea's influence, with Nantes being influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and Marseilles the Mediterranean, with much warmer waters and milder winds. If in Nantes the average annual temperature is 12 degrees, in Marseilles in the South of France, the average annual temperature is almost 21 degrees, demonstrating the clear difference between the pleasant Mediterranean climate and the coastal climate that so well suits Nantes (this being a personal opinion). This varying influence of the different seas can also be seen in the precipitation detailed below.

Speaking of precipitation, and as it is seen in its abundance in the climograph, the highest records are in the months of November, December and January, those being the only ones to surpass 80mm of rainfall per month. On the other hand we have the summer months, June and July, where rainfall reaches 40mm, far from the 80mm of the previously mentioned months. The total rainfall reaches 876mm in the year 2013, 829mm in the year 2012, or somewhat less in the year 2003 when rainfall only rose to 735mm. What is more noticeable than the litres fallen, is the quantity of rainy days Nantes had throughout the year, reaching 209 last year or 207 two years ago. It could be that the amount of rain dispersed throughout the number of days is a very small amount, but we have to take into account that rain most days is in a fine rain or drizzle that can either be a brief shower or last the whole day. A a sun worshipper, this statistic is a bit of a shock, but its certain that the few days that some sun does appear or it simply doesn't rain, will be valued much more. Coming back to the comparisons, at the other end of the scale, I will use Marseilles again as a point of reference. In this southerly city it is not known for its continuous rainfall, being highly influenced by the previously mentioned Mediterranean climate. In Marseilles, the registered rainfall last year was more than 550mm, far from Nantes' 829 and registering a large difference between the wettest and driest month, for reference, July and October, with only 13mm the first month of Summer and 84mm in October coinciding with the Autumn.

To summarise, it can be said that Nantes, (as a representative of the Pays de la Loire (Loire Valley) climate and more generally this area of the West of France influenced by the Atlantic Ocean) is dominated by the coastal climate and thanks to this the temperatures has an average of 12 degrees, being highly influenced by the thermal effects of the wind and rain given that the precipitation is heavy and practically non stop throughout the year with the exception of the summer, when there is a slight dip. Its clear that everyone has different tastes, but if it was my choice, I would exchange a few rainy cold days for some sun, to be able to enjoy the beach that we have here beside us which is always empty due to the bad weather. We can only hope to put on our bathing suits in summer. Cheers, and if you do come here, don't forget your raincoat and umbrella, essential tools for this climate.


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Comments (1 comments)

  • flag-gb Ella Louise Finn 7 years ago

    #Nantes #France #Europe #EU #UE #Erasmus #Loire #LoireRegion #PaysdelaLoire #LoireValley #Climate #Weather #Rainfall #Precipitation

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