2026 ranking · sunshine

The sunniest large cities in Hauts-de-France (20,000+ inhabitants)

Q: What is the sunniest large city in Hauts-de-France?

Amiens (Somme) is the sunniest large city in Hauts-de-France, with 1,761 hours of sunshine a year on average.

Amiens (Somme) is the sunniest large city in Hauts-de-France, with 1,761 hours of sunshine a year on average. Next come Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais, 1,710 hours a year) and Saint-Quentin (Aisne, 1,696 hours a year).

22 towns ranked out of 3,782

Amiens, 1^stThe next 19

The podium

Photos: © Velvet, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 22 of the 3,782 towns in Hauts-de-France. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants and towns without a Météo-France station within 30 km and 300 m of elevation. At the other end of the ranking, Croix (Nord) comes last with 1,627 hours a year.

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: sunniest large cities in Hauts-de-France

Rank	Town	Department	Hours of sunshine per year	Population
1	Amiens	Somme (80)	1,761	139,183
2	Boulogne-sur-Mer	Pas-de-Calais (62)	1,710	40,924
3	Saint-Quentin	Aisne (02)	1,696	53,963
4	Beauvais	Oise (60)	1,682	56,934
5 tied	Lille	Nord (59)	1,627	240,109
5 tied	Tourcoing	Nord (59)	1,627	99,346
5 tied	Roubaix	Nord (59)	1,627	98,701
5 tied	Villeneuve-d'Ascq	Nord (59)	1,627	63,462
5 tied	Douai	Nord (59)	1,627	41,108
5 tied	Wattrelos	Nord (59)	1,627	41,013
5 tied	Marcq-en-Barœul	Nord (59)	1,627	40,930
5 tied	Lens	Pas-de-Calais (62)	1,627	33,122
5 tied	Liévin	Pas-de-Calais (62)	1,627	30,398
5 tied	Lambersart	Nord (59)	1,627	27,572
5 tied	Armentières	Nord (59)	1,627	27,382
5 tied	Hénin-Beaumont	Pas-de-Calais (62)	1,627	26,029
5 tied	Loos	Nord (59)	1,627	22,850
5 tied	La Madeleine	Nord (59)	1,627	22,006
5 tied	Mons-en-Barœul	Nord (59)	1,627	21,244
5 tied	Wasquehal	Nord (59)	1,627	21,005
5 tied	Halluin	Nord (59)	1,627	20,864
5 tied	Croix	Nord (59)	1,627	20,790

Source: Météo-France, climate data sheets (30-year normals); average annual hours of sunshine at the reference station, cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 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

Sunniest large cities in Hauts-de-France: FAQ

What is the sunniest large city in Hauts-de-France?

Amiens (Somme) is the sunniest large city in Hauts-de-France, with 1,761 hours of sunshine a year on average.

What are the 10 sunniest large cities in Hauts-de-France?

In order: Amiens (1,761 hours a year), Boulogne-sur-Mer (1,710 hours a year), Saint-Quentin (1,696 hours a year), Beauvais (1,682 hours a year), Lille (1,627 hours a year), Tourcoing (1,627 hours a year), Roubaix (1,627 hours a year), Villeneuve-d'Ascq (1,627 hours a year), Douai (1,627 hours a year), and Wattrelos (1,627 hours a year).

How many towns in Hauts-de-France are ranked?

22 out of 3,782. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 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 cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants are ranked here; towns with 2,000 or more inhabitants appear in the sunniest cities ranking.