Marseille, France's great Mediterranean port, sits on the coast of Provence east of the Rhône delta at approximately 43.30°N, 5.37°E. It has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa, bordering semi-arid) with hot, dry, sunny summers and mild, relatively wet winters. Frequently swept by the Mistral wind, it is one of the driest and sunniest major cities in France, enjoying around 2,800–2,850 hours of sunshine a year.

Summer, from mid-June to August, is hot, dry and intensely sunny, with July the warmest month — average highs around 29–30°C — and occasional sultry spells that the sea breeze helps to temper. Rain is very rare in high summer, with July averaging barely 10 mm. It is also the season when the Mistral is least frequent, making it the prime time for the beaches, though heatwaves can occasionally push temperatures toward 40°C.

Winter, from December to February, is mild but not always gentle, with January the coolest month — average highs around 11–12°C and lows near 4°C. Sunny days alternate with rainy ones, and the real bite comes from the Mistral: when this cold, dry northerly howls down the Rhône valley at 100 kph or more, it sharpens the feeling of cold dramatically and can bring night frosts, even as it scours the sky a brilliant blue.

Marseille is one of the least rainy cities in France, receiving only around 515–550 mm a year, concentrated in autumn — September and October are the wettest — while summer is almost dry. When rain does come, especially in autumn, it can be intense and concentrated into just a few hours, occasionally causing flash flooding. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

The defining force in Marseille's weather is the Mistral, the cold, dry, powerful north-to-northwesterly wind that funnels down the Rhône valley and blows on around a hundred days a year. It clears the air and guarantees sunshine, but sharpens winter cold, whips up rough seas, and keeps the local sea a degree or two cooler than the more sheltered Riviera further east.

To follow any single measurement in Marseille more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.