Geography

Bordeaux is located close to the European Atlantic coast, in the southwest of France and in the north of the Aquitaine region. It is around 500 km (310 mi) southwest of Paris. The city is built on a bend of the river Garonne, and is divided into two parts: the right bank to the east and left bank in the west. Historically, the left bank is more developed. In Bordeaux, the Garonne River is accessible to ocean liners. The left bank of the Garonne is a low-lying, often marshy plain.

Climate

Bordeaux's climate is usually classified as an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb); however, the summers tend to be warmer and the winters milder than most areas of similar classification. Substantial summer rainfall prevents its climate from being classified as Mediterranean.

Winters are mild because of the prevalence of westerly winds from the Atlantic. Summers are warm and long due to the influence from the Bay of Biscay (surface temperature reaches 21 to 22 °C (70 to 72 °F). The average seasonal winter temperature is 6.53 °C (43.75 °F), but recent winters have been warmer than this. Frosts in the winter are commonplace, occurring several times during a winter, but snowfall is very rare, occurring only once every three years. The average summer seasonal temperature is 19.51 °C (67.12 °F), but every summer in the decade beginning 2001 has exceeded this average. The summer of 2003 set a record with an average temperature of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F).

Climate data for Bordeaux-Mérignac (1971–2000) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 20.2 (68.4) 26.2 (79.2) 29.8 (85.6) 31.1 (88) 35.4 (95.7) 40.0 (104) 39.2 (102.6) 41.9 (107.4) 37.6 (99.7) 32.2 (90) 25.1 (77.2) 22.5 (72.5) 41.9 (107.4) Average high °C (°F) 10.0 (50) 11.7 (53.1) 14.5 (58.1) 16.5 (61.7) 20.5 (68.9) 23.5 (74.3) 26.4 (79.5) 26.6 (79.9) 23.7 (74.7) 18.8 (65.8) 13.4 (56.1) 10.7 (51.3) 18.1 (64.6) Daily mean °C (°F) 6.4 (43.5) 7.6 (45.7) 9.6 (49.3) 11.6 (52.9) 15.4 (59.7) 18.3 (64.9) 20.8 (69.4) 20.9 (69.6) 18.1 (64.6) 14.2 (57.6) 9.4 (48.9) 7.3 (45.1) 13.3 (55.9) Average low °C (°F) 2.8 (37) 3.4 (38.1) 4.6 (40.3) 6.6 (43.9) 10.3 (50.5) 13.0 (55.4) 15.1 (59.2) 15.2 (59.4) 12.5 (54.5) 9.5 (49.1) 5.5 (41.9) 3.8 (38.8) 8.5 (47.3) Record low °C (°F) −16.4 (2.5) −15.2 (4.6) −9.9 (14.2) −5.3 (22.5) −1.8 (28.8) 2.5 (36.5) 4.8 (40.6) 1.5 (34.7) −1.8 (28.8) −5.3 (22.5) −12.3 (9.9) −13.4 (7.9) −16.4 (2.5) Precipitation mm (inches) 92 (3.62) 83 (3.27) 70 (2.76) 80 (3.15) 84 (3.31) 64 (2.52) 55 (2.17) 60 (2.36) 90 (3.54) 94 (3.7) 107 (4.21) 107 (4.21) 984.2 (38.748) Avg. precipitation days 12.5 11.3 11.2 12.0 11.5 8.9 7.0 7.8 9.6 11.3 12.5 12.6 128.2 Mean monthly sunshine hours 107 114 180 177 222 225 243 243 183 134 91 72 1,992 Source: Météo France