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The weather in Brittany |
| Brittany travel and tourism - a short guide to the region, its features, culture and history | |
Visiting Brittany...Selected holiday
cottages and gites in Brittany
An exclusive selection of good value holiday cottages throughout Brittany, available directly from the owners - many of them English. Book directly with owners for best rates and peace of mind.
An exclusive selection of good value holiday cottages throughout Brittany, available directly from the owners - many of them English. Book directly with owners for best rates and peace of mind.
Bed
& Breakfast in Brittany
mostly English speaking
mostly English speaking
Seaside
hotels Brittany
hotels with sea views, all round the Brittany coast
hotels with sea views, all round the Brittany coast
Southern Brittany beach
Atlantic storm
| Site index: |  La Bretagne - en français |
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| Tourist guide to Brittany | the Celtic Tradition | Tourist attractions | Maps of Brittany |
| Brittany climate | Travel to Brittany | Main towns | Breton food |
Brittany's climate and weather
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here for five day
weather forecast for France
In terms of climate,
Brittany is warmer and drier than the south of England, particularly in
summer. The south coast of Brittany can be scorching in July and
August, if the weather conditions are right. However, being in the
north western part of France, the weather can also set in cloudy and
wet at any thime of the year, just as it can in Devon or Cornwall. The
Finistère area of western Brittany tends to have the coolest weather in
summer, while the south coast of Morbihan, benefiting from a sunny
microclimate, is the warmest. In winter time, Brittany benefits from a
remarkably mild climate, particularly in the extreme west where frost
and snow are relatively rare. Nonetheless, if a cold winter wind is
blowing from the east, temperatures can fall to -5° or below
even
in Brest.In terms of average annual temperature, Vannes, in the Morbihan, is two degrees warmer than Saint Brieuc, in the Côtes d'Armor, due notably to the fact that the south of Brittany gets more sunshine. Conversely, as far as sea temperatures are concerned, the waters of the north coast are one or two degrees warmer on average than those on the south coast, on account of the Gulf Stream which flows up the English Channel, but not so much into the Bay of Biscay.
The mildness of the climate has been a strong factor in the development of tourism in Brittany, but also for the region's agricultural sector. Nurseries growing plants under glass or in open fields provide early crops for the French market and for other parts of Europe, particularly with crops that are not heavily exported from the warmer areas of southern Spain.
Exposed to the Atlantic airstream, Brittany gets quite a lot of windy weather, making it particularly popular with sailing enthusiasts. Many of France's most famous yachtsmen, such as Eric Tabarly, have hailed from Brittany, and yachting is a major tourist activity around all round the coast. On occasions however, yachtsmen are advised to moor their craft in the region's many sheltered anchorages or harbours; when the Breton coastline is in the throes of a major Atlantic storm, with waves of up to 30 feet crashing on the rocks and the sea defences, thoughts go out for those in peril on the sea. Almost every year, the media report the loss at sea of Breton fishermen .
Brittany average temperatures:
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