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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Lyon France

In Lyon, the summers are warm, the winters are very cold, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 33°F to 82°F and is rarely below 24°F or above 93°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Lyon for warm-weather activities is from early June to mid September.

Climate in Lyon

very coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmcoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow70%70%36%36%clearovercastprecipitation: 2.9 inprecipitation: 2.9 in1.4 in1.4 inmuggy: 4%muggy: 4%0%0%drydrytourism score: 7.2tourism score: 7.20.30.3
Lyon weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 8 to September 8, with an average daily high temperature above 75°F. The hottest month of the year in Lyon is July, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.6 months, from November 15 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature below 51°F. The coldest month of the year in Lyon is January, with an average low of 33°F and high of 44°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Lyon

Average High and Low Temperature in LyonwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 1544°FJan 1544°FAug 382°FAug 382°F33°F33°F62°F62°FJun 875°FJun 875°FSep 875°FSep 875°FNov 1551°FNov 1551°FMar 251°FMar 251°F56°F56°F56°F56°F40°F40°F36°F36°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 44°F47°F55°F61°F69°F76°F81°F80°F73°F63°F52°F45°F
Temp. 39°F40°F47°F53°F60°F67°F72°F71°F64°F56°F46°F40°F
Low 33°F34°F39°F44°F51°F58°F61°F60°F55°F48°F40°F35°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Lyon

Average Hourly Temperature in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarm
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Cascade Locks, Oregon, United States (5,343 miles away); Quincy, California, United States (5,641 miles); and Mountain City, Tennessee, United States (4,337 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Lyon (view comparison).

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In Lyon, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Lyon begins around June 7 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around September 24.

The clearest month of the year in Lyon is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 69% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 24 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around June 7.

The cloudiest month of the year in Lyon is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Lyon

Cloud Cover Categories in LyonclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Jul 2070%Jul 2070%Nov 2336%Nov 2336%Jun 753%Jun 753%Sep 2454%Sep 2454%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 61%55%54%53%53%42%31%34%42%55%62%62%
Clearer 39%45%46%47%47%58%69%66%58%45%38%38%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Lyon varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 8.5 months, from March 31 to December 13, with a greater than 26% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Lyon is May, with an average of 9.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 3.5 months, from December 13 to March 31. The month with the fewest wet days in Lyon is March, with an average of 6.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Lyon is May, with an average of 9.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 33% on May 26.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Lyon

Daily Chance of Precipitation in LyonwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%May 2633%May 2633%Mar 419%Mar 419%Dec 1326%Dec 1326%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 7.2d6.5d6.8d8.3d9.8d8.8d7.2d6.9d7.4d8.8d7.9d7.6d
Mixed 0.2d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.3d
Snow 0.3d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.1d
Any 7.6d6.8d6.8d8.3d9.8d8.8d7.2d6.9d7.4d8.8d8.1d7.9d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Lyon experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Lyon. The month with the most rain in Lyon is October, with an average rainfall of 2.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Lyon is February, with an average rainfall of 1.4 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Lyon

Average Monthly Rainfall in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 inOct 52.9 inOct 52.9 inFeb 271.4 inFeb 271.4 inMay 132.7 inMay 132.7 inJul 261.8 inJul 261.8 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 1.5″1.4″1.5″2.2″2.7″2.3″1.9″2.0″2.7″2.8″2.4″1.7″

The length of the day in Lyon varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 40 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 43 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Lyon

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 9.1h10.4h12.0h13.6h15.0h15.7h15.3h14.1h12.5h10.9h9.5h8.7h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:50 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 31 minutes later at 8:21 AM on January 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:56 PM on December 10, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 38 minutes later at 9:34 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Lyon during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in Lyon

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 155:50 AMJun 155:50 AM9:34 PMJun 269:34 PMJun 26Dec 104:56 PMDec 104:56 PM8:21 AMJan 28:21 AMJan 2Mar 31DSTMar 31DSTDSTOct 27DSTOct 27daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Lyon

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM00001010102020203030304040506000010101010202020303040405050602168NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Lyon

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Lyon, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 2% of 2% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Lyon

Humidity Comfort Levels in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Mar 20%Mar 20%Jul 244%Jul 244%NowNowhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.5d1.1d0.9d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Lyon experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.2 months, from October 12 to May 18, with average wind speeds of more than 7.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Lyon is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.8 months, from May 18 to October 12. The calmest month of the year in Lyon is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.9 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Lyon

Average Wind Speed in LyonwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mphApr 28.9 mphApr 28.9 mphAug 116.8 mphAug 116.8 mphOct 127.8 mphOct 127.8 mphMay 187.8 mphMay 187.8 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 8.28.58.78.67.97.47.26.97.47.98.18.2

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Lyon varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 8.6 months, from January 16 to October 3 and for 1.6 weeks, from November 20 to December 1, with a peak percentage of 56% on July 26. The wind is most often from the south for 1.6 months, from October 3 to November 20 and for 1.5 months, from December 1 to January 16, with a peak percentage of 45% on October 27.

Wind Direction in Lyon

Wind Direction in LyonSNSNSJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowsouthnorthwest
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Lyon throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Lyon for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

Tourism Score in Lyon

Tourism Score in Lyonbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.27.20.30.3NowNowtemperaturetemperature precipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Lyon for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Beach/Pool Score in Lyon

Beach/Pool Score in Lyonbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.56.50.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Lyon typically lasts for 7.7 months (237 days), from around March 24 to around November 16, rarely starting before February 23 or after April 19, and rarely ending before October 22 or after December 17.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Lyon

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Lyongrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Mar 2450%Mar 2450%Nov 1650%Nov 1690%Apr 1990%Apr 1990%Oct 2290%Oct 2210%Feb 2310%Feb 2310%Dec 1710%Dec 170%Jan 170%Jan 17Jul 25100%Jul 25100%NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Lyon should appear around March 27, only rarely appearing before March 10 or after April 16.

Growing Degree Days in Lyon

Growing Degree Days in LyonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°FMar 2789°FMar 2789°FJun 19900°FJun 19900°FAug 21,800°FAug 21,800°FDec 313,098°FDec 313,098°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from May 12 to August 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Lyon is July, with an average of 7.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from October 26 to February 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Lyon is December, with an average of 1.3 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Lyon

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in LyonbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJul 47.1 kWhJul 47.1 kWhDec 221.2 kWhDec 221.2 kWhMay 126.0 kWhMay 126.0 kWhAug 186.0 kWhAug 186.0 kWhOct 262.4 kWhOct 262.4 kWhFeb 152.4 kWhFeb 152.4 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 1.52.53.85.16.16.97.06.14.62.91.71.3

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Lyon are 45.748 deg latitude, 4.847 deg longitude, and 568 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Lyon contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 505 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 594 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,650 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (4,934 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Lyon is covered by artificial surfaces (94%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (48%) and cropland (33%), and within 50 miles by cropland (36%) and trees (30%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Lyon, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Lyon.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Lyon according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Lyon is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Lyon and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Lyon and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.