In April, Pas-de-Calais had the sunniest city in France for the second month in a row

The north of the country under blazing sun , the south under torrential rain. In terms of weather, France was once again upside down during this month of April 2025, notes Météo France in its monthly report . "Following on from a very sunny month of March, the sun was again very generous in the northern half of the country. On the other hand, sunshine was more in line with the season in the southern regions, and even deficient in the South-East," underlines the meteorological institute.

In detail, the sun was 10% above average over a large northern half and up to 30% of Normandy on the northern borders. Conversely, it was more than 10% below seasonal norms in Provence. Thus, only 165 hours of sunshine were recorded in Dax (Landes) and 202 hours in Le Luc (Var) compared to 256 hours in Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and 271 hours in Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais). Already in March, Calais (Pas-de-Calais) was the sunniest city in France, with 222 hours of sunshine.

Similarly, monthly average temperatures were 1 to 3°C above normal in the south and east of mainland France and Corsica, and generally 2 to 3°C above normal in the northwest of the country.

Rainfall was also a major problem for the country . Rainfall was 30 to 70% lower in the northern Brittany and Pays-de-la-Loire regions, including Hauts-de-France. The water shortage even exceeded 70% in local areas in Normandy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

On the other hand, rainfall was generally above 10 to 50% from the north of Hérault to the east of the Massif Central and the Alps, as well as in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Corsica. Corrèze, northern Aquitaine, and Charentes even experienced episodes of flooding. However, across France and for the month, rainfall was in line with normal, according to Météo France.

This weather is expected to last until May 18, with a high-pressure system anchored over the British Isles, bringing this dry weather to the north, notes the Weather Channel . Cold drops, a phenomenon caused by the presence of a cold air mass that settles over a specific geographical area, are also expected to continue to intrude to the south.

At the end of April, Météo France reported that a high pressure system had been in place over northern Europe since February. As a result, April in Ireland broke records: in County Galway, the temperature reached 25.8°C. This was unprecedented for the season. Earlier, in March 2025, English counties recorded their second-wetter March, while Spain experienced its third-wettest March.