La Rochelle in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), La Rochelle sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 222 mm of precipitation over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 10°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is La Rochelle's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see La Rochelle's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 10°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 5°C
- Precipitation
- 222 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 19 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in La Rochelle in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 10°C.
A typical winter day in La Rochelle reaches about 10°C and drops to 5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
La Rochelle 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 | 9° / 5° | 77 | 11.9 | 8.8 | 1.9 |
| Feb | 10° / 5° | 58 | 9.7 | 10 | 2.2 |
| Mar | 13° / 7° | 54 | 10 | 11.6 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 15° / 9° | 57 | 9.8 | 13.3 | 4.5 |
| May | 18° / 12° | 57 | 10.2 | 14.7 | 5.8 |
| Jun | 21° / 15° | 47 | 8.4 | 15.5 | 6.7 |
| Jul | 23° / 17° | 36 | 7.1 | 15.2 | 7.5 |
| Aug | 23° / 17° | 42 | 7.2 | 14 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 21° / 15° | 55 | 8 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 17° / 12° | 87 | 12.3 | 10.7 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 13° / 8° | 92 | 12.8 | 9.2 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 10° / 6° | 87 | 12.8 | 8.5 | 2.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
La Rochelle gets around 222 mm of rain and snow over 34 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 19 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min in early December to 10 h 42 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 1.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit La Rochelle?
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 La Rochelle.
What to pack for La Rochelle in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, La Rochelle sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
Sea temperature near La Rochelle in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 11°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 20°C and coldest in February near 10°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Bracing |
| Feb | 10 | Bracing |
| Mar | 10 | Bracing |
| Apr | 12 | Bracing |
| May | 15 | Bracing |
| Jun | 18 | Cool |
| Jul | 19 | Cool |
| Aug | 20 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 19 | Cool |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in La Rochelle in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in La Rochelle peaks around July 20 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 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 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is La Rochelle?
La Rochelle sits at 46.2°N, 1.2°W, 13 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Rochefort, 28 km away.
Topography around La Rochelle
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of La Rochelle.
Within 3 km, the terrain around La Rochelle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m.
The land around La Rochelle is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) within 3 km, water (48%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%) and water (28%) 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 La Rochelle (46.1631°, -1.1522°, elevation 13 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.