Météo-France Weather Explorer
Météo-France Open Data Overview
This page is centered on official Météo-France station data, with a particular focus on how weather changes between Atlantic coasts, inland basins, mountain terrain, and Mediterranean corridors. It is a strong fit for users who want French observations in a cleaner interface than the raw source portals.
The explorer brings together high-quality temperature, precipitation, and wind records from stations across metropolitan France and overseas territories, making it easier to move from national context to station-level detail.
Use the interactive explorer
Use the map or department filter to move quickly from regional browsing to a specific station.
For Europe-wide near real-time hourly observations, use the EuroMeteo Explorer.
LES MOERES AGGLOMERATION – Daily Météo-France Data
Weather station LES MOERES AGGLOMERATION (ID 59404001), Department of Nord, France. Elevation: 1 m. Coordinates: 51.015°N, 2.5483°E.
Data period: 1881 to 1912.
Available parameters (Daily): No data
About this Data
The Météo-France Explorer connects you to the official open data of France’s national meteorological service. Known for scientific excellence, Météo-France maintains a sophisticated network of ground stations that capture the complex interactions between Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Continental climate influences.
This tool simplifies access to the “Données Climatologiques de Base”, allowing you to visualize:
- Air Temperature: From the heat of Provence to the alpine cold of Chamonix.
- Precipitation: Detailed rain and snow accumulation records for hydrological studies.
- Wind Analysis: Assessing the mistral, tramontane, and coastal wind regimes.
Unique Value: Short-Interval Rainfall in Complex Terrain
This dataset offers an exceptional 6-minute temporal resolution for precipitation only. This is finer than standard hourly observations and allows for the precise characterization of rapid meteorological changes. Whether you are studying the intensity of summer thunderstorms or the onset of sea breezes, the 6-minute granularity provides a “high definition” view of the weather that is rarely available in public datasets.
How to use this tool
- Locate a Region: Use the interactive Map or the Department filter (e.g., “Gironde”, “Paris”) to zoom into your area of interest.
- Select a Station: Click on any map marker. The Stations Info table will highlight the selected site. Double-click the table row to confirm your selection and trigger the data load.
- Explore the Dashboard:
- Plots: View dynamic time-series graphs that let you zoom from decadal trends down to minutes.
- Data: Access the tabular view to check specific values or quality flags.
- Download: Ensure you have the right Time Resolution selected (6-min, Hourly, Daily) before exporting data for your reports.
How to Interpret Météo-France Observations
This explorer is best read as a tool for understanding how weather behaves across very different French climate settings: Atlantic coasts, interior plains, Mediterranean corridors, mountain terrain, and overseas stations. The observations shown are station measurements, so they reflect local exposure and geography rather than a simplified national average.
When interpreting the page, keep these points in mind:
- Resolution Changes the Story: The same station can reveal very different behavior at 6-minute, hourly, daily, or monthly scale. Short intervals are ideal for storm structure and rainfall intensity, while daily and monthly views are better for broader patterns.
- Terrain Strongly Influences Values: France includes coastal zones, high mountains, river basins, and Mediterranean lowlands. A station in the Alps or Pyrenees can differ sharply from a nearby lowland site under the same larger weather regime.
- Precipitation Intensity Matters: The 6-minute precipitation feed is especially useful for identifying short-lived heavy bursts that disappear when aggregated to hourly or daily totals.
- Station Context Matters: Wind, temperature, and rainfall are sensitive to local siting. Coastal stations, urban airports, valley floors, and exposed ridges can all behave differently even within the same department.
- Use Multiple Variables Together: The most reliable interpretation often comes from combining precipitation, temperature, and wind rather than reading a single chart in isolation.
What This Explorer Is Best For
The Météo-France explorer is particularly strong for studying regional contrasts inside France, analyzing short-interval rainfall events, and examining local station histories without navigating the raw source portals. It is less appropriate for continent-wide comparison or global climatology, where broader datasets such as the EuroMeteo Explorer, GHCNh Explorer, or GHCNm are a better fit.
This explorer supports 6-Minute, Hourly, Daily, and Monthly data resolutions. Use the Time Resolution toggle in the sidebar to switch between modes. The selected resolution affects both the visualized plots and data exports.
Météo-France has recently migrated its open data to the API Portal and meteo.data.gouv.fr. This explorer uses these modernized data streams to provide the latest information.
Need more help? View the full Météo-France User Guide for detailed instructions.
Data source
- Météo-France Open Data: https://meteo.data.gouv.fr/.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data is available from Météo-France?
This explorer provides access to the “Données Climatologiques de Base” from Météo-France’s official open data portal. This includes high-quality observations for air temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and wind direction across mainland France and its overseas territories.
What is the benefit of 6-minute precipitation data?
Standard precipitation datasets often only provide hourly or daily totals. The 6-minute temporal resolution offered by Météo-France allows for precise hydrological analysis, helping researchers understand the exact intensity and duration of sudden convective storms and flash floods.
How do I find a weather station in a specific part of France?
You can use the interactive map to browse the network, or you can use the localized “Department” filter in the sidebar (for example, filtering to “Gironde” or “Paris”) to quickly narrow down the list of active observation stations in that specific region.
Is this data processed or modified?
No. Climate Explorer visualizes the official public data streams directly from the Météo-France open data API. The values you see are the official, unmodified observations as recorded by the national meteorological service.
Browse featured Meteo-France pages
Quick links to curated French station and department pages from the Meteo-France explorer.