Largest City in France

2026 ranking · precipitation

The driest cities in France

Monticello (Haute-Corse) is the driest city in France, with just 474 mm (18.7 in) of precipitation a year on average. Next come Saint-Leu (Réunion, 482 mm) and Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône, 517 mm).

5,596 towns ranked out of 34,875

Monticello, 1stThe next 19

The podium

  1. 1stMonticello 474mm/yr Haute-Corse
  2. 2ndSaint-Leu 482mm/yr Réunion
  3. 3rdMartigues 517mm/yr Bouches-du-Rhône

Photos: © Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0

This ranking covers 5,596 of the 34,875 towns in France. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. At the other end of the ranking, Le Morne-Rouge (Martinique) comes last with 4,683 mm.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: driest cities in France

Rank Town Department Annual precipitation (mm) Proportional bar Population
1 Monticello Haute-Corse (2B) 474 2,110
2 Saint-Leu Réunion (974) 482 36,687
3 tied Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 517 48,807
3 tied Port-de-Bouc Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 517 15,955
3 tied Sausset-les-Pins Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 517 7,690
3 tied Carry-le-Rouet Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 517 5,839
7 tied Agde Hérault (34) 518 30,340
7 tied Marseillan Hérault (34) 518 8,495
7 tied Pomérols Hérault (34) 518 2,346
10 tied Vitrolles Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 37,134
10 tied Marignane Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 33,957
10 tied Les Pennes-Mirabeau Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 22,791
10 tied Châteauneuf-les-Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 18,582
10 tied Berre-l'Étang Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 13,912
10 tied Rognac Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 12,686
10 tied Gignac-la-Nerthe Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 10,432
10 tied Velaux Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 9,090
10 tied Saint-Victoret Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 6,758
10 tied Ensuès-la-Redonne Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 5,855
10 tied Le Rove Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 532 5,297
21 tied La Possession Réunion (974) 539 37,005
21 tied Le Port Réunion (974) 539 34,212
23 tied Prades Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 540 6,407
23 tied Vinça Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 540 2,290
25 tied Sète Hérault (34) 543 45,901
25 tied Frontignan Hérault (34) 543 24,383
25 tied Mèze Hérault (34) 543 12,862
25 tied Balaruc-les-Bains Hérault (34) 543 7,238
25 tied Poussan Hérault (34) 543 6,888
25 tied Gigean Hérault (34) 543 6,719
25 tied Villeveyrac Hérault (34) 543 4,045
25 tied Balaruc-le-Vieux Hérault (34) 543 2,772
25 tied Loupian Hérault (34) 543 2,208
34 tied Aigues-Mortes Gard (30) 553 8,786
34 tied Le Grau-du-Roi Gard (30) 553 8,661
34 tied Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 553 2,457
37 tied Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 10,038
37 tied Bompas Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 7,936
37 tied Le Barcarès Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 6,147
37 tied Sainte-Marie-la-Mer Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 5,021
37 tied Claira Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 4,977
37 tied Torreilles Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 3,821
37 tied Villelongue-de-la-Salanque Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 3,389
37 tied Saint-Hippolyte Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 555 3,171
45 tied Sérignan Hérault (34) 555 8,772
45 tied Vias Hérault (34) 555 6,024
45 tied Bessan Hérault (34) 555 5,916
45 tied Sauvian Hérault (34) 555 5,728
45 tied Villeneuve-lès-Béziers Hérault (34) 555 4,565
45 tied Valras-Plage Hérault (34) 555 4,489
45 tied Portiragnes Hérault (34) 555 3,592
45 tied Cers Hérault (34) 555 2,552
53 tied Colmar Haut-Rhin (68) 558 68,013
53 tied Wintzenheim Haut-Rhin (68) 558 8,375
53 tied Horbourg-Wihr Haut-Rhin (68) 558 6,309
53 tied Ingersheim Haut-Rhin (68) 558 4,832
53 tied Turckheim Haut-Rhin (68) 558 4,206
53 tied Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine Haut-Rhin (68) 558 3,078
53 tied Andolsheim Haut-Rhin (68) 558 2,274
53 tied Porte du Ried Haut-Rhin (68) 558 2,037
53 tied Sundhoffen Haut-Rhin (68) 558 2,035
62 tied Leucate Aude (11) 559 4,614
62 tied Salses-le-Château Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 559 4,004
64 tied Saint-Lubin-des-Joncherets Eure-et-Loir (28) 561 4,186
64 tied Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre Eure-et-Loir (28) 561 4,104
64 tied Nonancourt Eure (27) 561 2,363
67 tied Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 148,795
67 tied Cournon-d'Auvergne Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 20,341
67 tied Chamalières Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 18,059
67 tied Pont-du-Château Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 12,716
67 tied Beaumont Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 10,893
67 tied Aubière Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 10,614
67 tied Gerzat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 10,431
67 tied Lempdes Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 9,127
67 tied Romagnat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 8,026
67 tied Ceyrat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 6,719
67 tied Le Cendre Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 5,470
67 tied Royat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 4,589
67 tied Aulnat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 4,176
67 tied Vertaizon Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 3,577
67 tied Mur-sur-Allier Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 3,172
67 tied Orcet Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 2,931
67 tied Pérignat-lès-Sarliève Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 2,930
67 tied Ennezat Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 2,813
67 tied Les Martres-d'Artière Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 2,279
67 tied Saint-Beauzire Puy-de-Dôme (63) 563 2,242
87 tied Arles Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 570 52,515
87 tied Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 570 8,646
89 tied Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 120,206
89 tied Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 84,409
89 tied Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 68,449
89 tied Saint-Germain-en-Laye Yvelines (78) 571 47,628
89 tied Meudon Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 46,959
89 tied Chatou Yvelines (78) 571 31,112
89 tied Saint-Cloud Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 30,332
89 tied Sèvres Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 22,599
89 tied Chaville Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 20,904
89 tied La Celle-Saint-Cloud Yvelines (78) 571 20,900
89 tied Garches Hauts-de-Seine (92) 571 18,117
89 tied Marly-le-Roi Yvelines (78) 571 17,159

Source: Météo-France, climate data sheets (30-year normals); average annual precipitation at the reference station, towns with 2,000 or more inhabitants. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Driest cities in France: FAQ

What is the driest city in France?

Monticello (Haute-Corse) is the driest city in France, with just 474 mm (18.7 in) of precipitation a year on average.

What are the 10 driest cities in France?

In order: Monticello (474 mm), Saint-Leu (482 mm), Martigues (517 mm), Port-de-Bouc (517 mm), Sausset-les-Pins (517 mm), Carry-le-Rouet (517 mm), Agde (518 mm), Marseillan (518 mm), Pomérols (518 mm), and Vitrolles (532 mm).

What is the rainiest city in France?

Le Morne-Rouge (Martinique) is the rainiest city in France, with 4,683 mm (184.4 in) of precipitation a year on average. See the rainiest cities in France.

How many towns in France are ranked?

5,596 out of 34,875. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation.

Where do these figures come from?

They are Météo-France climate normals (30-year averages), recorded at the weather station closest to the town hall, no more than 30 km away and within 300 m of elevation: towns linked to the same station share the same value and are tied. Towns without a station close enough are not ranked. Only towns with 2,000 or more inhabitants are ranked.

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