Istres in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Istres sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 140 mm of precipitation over about 19 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Istres's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Istres's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 5°C
- Precipitation
- 140 mm
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Istres in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C.
A typical winter day in Istres reaches about 12°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Istres weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12° / 4° | 52 | 6.5 | 9.1 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 13° / 4° | 38 | 5.4 | 10.2 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 16° / 7° | 37 | 5.7 | 11.6 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 19° / 10° | 60 | 8 | 13.2 | 6.7 |
| May | 23° / 14° | 50 | 6.5 | 14.5 | 7.5 |
| Jun | 28° / 18° | 27 | 4.3 | 15.2 | 7.1 |
| Jul | 31° / 20° | 15 | 2.8 | 14.9 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 30° / 20° | 23 | 3.6 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 74 | 6.3 | 12.3 | 7.5 |
| Oct | 21° / 13° | 82 | 8.4 | 10.8 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 16° / 8° | 85 | 9.4 | 9.5 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 12° / 5° | 50 | 7 | 8.8 | 3.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Istres gets around 140 mm of rain and snow over 19 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 hours in early December to 10 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Istres?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Istres.
What to pack for Istres in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Istres sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. About 19 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Istres in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 13°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 12°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 28 to Sep 24 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 14 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Bracing |
| Feb | 12 | Bracing |
| Mar | 13 | Bracing |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 19 | Cool |
| Jul | 21 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 14 | Bracing |
UV index in Istres in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Istres peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Istres in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Istres is worst in March — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 12 | Moderate |
Where is Istres?
Istres sits at 43.5°N, 5.0°E, 14 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Miramas, 8.0 km away.
Topography around Istres
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Istres.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Istres has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 201 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,897 m.
The land around Istres is covered by water (30%), artificial surfaces (28%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, grassland (26%), water (24%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and trees (38%) and water (31%) within 80 km.
France travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 77% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $48,986
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.6 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.3
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 5.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 539
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Istres (43.5134°, 4.9875°, elevation 14 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.