France weather by month

In Paris, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 17 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around October 1. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 43% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 2 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around March 13. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 77% of the time.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Paris is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.9 months, from around Oct 14 to Apr 10. The windiest month is January, averaging about 15 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 11 to Oct 13, with August the calmest month at about 11 km/h.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Paris receives about 3.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.8 and 5.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 22 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.5 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 0.8 kWh/m² — roughly 86% less than the June peak.