Climate of the Territory of Belfort

The climate of the Territoire of Belfort is of the semi-continental type. It however is strongly influenced by the shape of corridor between the Vosges and the Jura that with the Porte of Burgundy which channels the winds of west as those coming from the east. The average altitude of the plain around Belfort east close to 400 meters, which in fact a threshold between Burgundy and Alsace, the average altitude of Mulhouse being of 240 meters.

Extreme altitudes in the department are

329 m at the place where Tasty the leaves départment, on the commune of Châtenois-the-Forging mills
1247 m at the top of the Ballon of Alsace on the territory of Lepuix-Gy

The Territory of Belfort the east one of the places of France most distant from a sea or an ocean. The the Mediterranean is with 380 km (Genoa) and the Manche to 480 km. Their moderating influence on the temperature is not thus felt.

Four seasons

Spring

The geographical location of the department makes that spring never arrives well frankly. The cold chills and the rises in temperature follow one another, accompanied by great temperature variations. Showers known as " of mars" are prolonged until May with snow showers molten. The difference in altitude with very close Alsace causes a shift in the calendar of flowering: one notes an average difference in two weeks for the majority of the flowers. Precipitations are generally moderated and it happens that one period without rain settles during two or three weeks. On the solid mass of the Vosges, the vegetation awakes gradually, according to altitude and, while assembling the road of the Ballon of Alsace, one can have a summary of spring with dandelions in flowers in the content of the valley of Tasty the whereas the beeches unroll only their sheets at the top. Late frosts can take place until June.

The summer

Seldom very dry, seldom " pourri". The summer in the Territory of Belfort is contrasted enough with very important temperature variations sometimes. The distance of the sea makes that the temperatures are often rather hot and exceed the 30 degrees in plain. Fortunately the forest, the many ponds and the mountain make it possible to find a pleasant freshness. Abundant precipitations can take place, they do not last very a long time and are due to storms most of the time.

The autumn

One short season, or at least curtailed by the arrival of the winter which is accompanied by rather abundant rains. It is not rare to have some snowfalls early as from mid-November. The first cold ones can occur as of September. Light, they give a crushing argument to the vegetation and the sheets of the trees become splendid then, especially if the sun and softness return with l'" be of the Saint Martin's day ". The fogs appear in plain, especially in the funds of valley and wet places when the nights are clear.

The winter

Characteristic of the semi-continental climate, the winters are relatively hard, especially in mountain. January is the coldest month. It is also the month when the snowfalls " occur; who tient" in plain. When the air is very pure, which occurs ten time in the winter, one can see with far the alpine range Bernoises. It is enough to be placed on an elucidated point. The average temperature in Belfort in winter is about 0°C but, as at each season, with variations which can reach an amplitude of 30 degrees in a few days. In plain, the average height of snow cumulated for all the winter is about 1 meter but can exceed 1,7 meters as during the winter 2005-2006.

Winds

The small chart opposite watch directions of the origin of the dominant winds in the Belfort Gap. One clearly sees the influence of the mountainous solid masses, the Vosges (in north) and the Jura (in the south), which form the walls of a corridor connecting the valley of the the Rhine and the plain of Alsace to the basin of the Saone.

Two kinds of winds determine the climate in Belfort Gap:

winds of south-western west/: moderated and wet, they bring the rain, the storms or snow according to the season.
the north wind : it comes from the east or the North-East. Cold in winter, relatively hot in summer, dries in all seasons. It is one of the components of the mistral. It happens that it blows during long days without weakening, cooling the houses best isolated while infiltrating everywhere. It is said that it lasts 3,6 or 9 days.

Precipitations

The solid mass of the Ballon of Alsace is opposed to the winds of west in charge of moisture and amplifies the level of precipitations in the north of the department. Height of rain per annum: Belfort: 106 cm, Balloon of Alsace: 240 cm.

monthly precipitations

On the diagram opposite, the vertical bars represent the average of the precipitations in Belfort raised by Weather-France of 1971 with 2000. Two minima are noted: in spring and in summer. The winter corresponds to a maximum of precipitations: rain or snow. But these statistics gum the variations which occur one year on the other. The curve in green corresponds to the height of received water with Borough-under-Châtelet for each month of the year 2005. The rains of summer are generally brought by thundery showers which pour in only one day a quantity of sometimes important water: water 60mm with Joncherey on August 7th, 1978.

One December

Precipitations of the end of the autumn are generally abundant rains in plain and snow on the solid mass of the Vosges. On the chart opposite (December 2005) one notices the strong correlation between the level of precipitations and altitude (see chart in the article Géographie of the Territory of Belfort.

The principal localities are located as follows:

G : Giromagny with the foot of the Vosges, at the edge of Tasty the
R : Rougemont-the-Castle with the foot of the Vosges
Be : Belfort at the edge of Tasty the
F : Fountain in plain
CH : Châtenois-the-Forging mills in plain
Bo : Beaucourt buttresses of the Jura
D : Delle

The numbers indicate the height of water in millimetres: 100mm in Belfort and Fontaine.

This December is close to the average: water 134mm of which 45cm of snow cumulated with the foot of the Vosges. The distribution of precipitations is rather close to that which one notes over one long period.

Temperatures

The values indicated on the two curves are not records but extreme averages of temperatures. For example, on February 10th 1956 one raised -21,4°C whereas the temperature average minimum is about -1°C.

The curve of the average temperatures, not represented on the diagram, is placed between these two extreme curves plotted in red and blue.

Sunning

Many hours of soleil/an: 1790 h/an
20% of time are sunny in December
50% of time are sunny in July

Some statistical data

The figures below are averages which have only one very relative value. Number of jours/an…

with rain or snow (some drops or flakes are enough): 74 j/an
with wind in gusts exceeding 57 km/h: 55 j/an
with important rain in July - August-September: 20 j/an
with storm accompanied or not by precipitations: 23 j/an
with completely covered sky: 66 j/an
with negative temperatures: 83 j/an
with temperature exceeding 25°C: 31 j/an
with permanent freezing: 23 j/an
with temperature exceeding 30°C: 5 j/an
with snow: 35 j/an
with fog: 40 j/an

extreme Average temperature:

in January, the lowest temperatures: -2°C
in January, the highest temperatures: +3°C
in July, the lowest temperatures: +13°C
in July, the highest temperatures: +23°C

Some Records

Height of snowing up cumulated historical with the balloon of Alsace: 3,2 meters in March 2006
Height of snowing up for one March in Belfort: More than 40 cm in March 2006
the month of August 2006 is coldest in Belfort since the beginning of measurements
the month of September 2006 is hotter than the month of August 2006

See too

Climate of Haut-Rhin
Climate of the Territory of Belfort on the site of Weather-France

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