Climate

Nouvelle-Aquitaine enjoys a pleasant ocean climate all year round, with average daytime temperatures of 12°C during the coldest months and 27°C in the height of summer. There is enough rainfall during the year (especially in November, December and January) to cover the needs of the vines and agricultural products for which the region is famed.

Westerly and north-westerly winds are the most frequent. Often strong, they bring rain with them.
Outside Lot-et-Garonne and southern Dordogne, rainfall exceeds 800 mm. To the north, it increases slightly as you approach the Limoges region. To the south, it increases rapidly to exceed 1 m in the Béarnais and Basque foothills, and exceeds 2 m on the Pyrenean peaks.

Overall, winters are mild and wet, although the cold can set in when pressure is high. The mimosa plant flowers on the coast. The heaviest rainfalls are seen in spring and autumn, during which the southerly wind brings beautiful days, too. Hail showers may damage the slopes but generally speaking, sun prevails over the rain. In spring, which is particularly changeable, you may experience heavy rains, hot and sunny weather, or cold and wet weather. Hot and dry summers with some thunderstorms alternate with rainy summers.