ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Paris in August

Paris in August: 31% of days see measurable rain, 78°F average high, 38% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Paris in August is historically a poor month for sun: only 38% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 78°F). Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Paris page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late August

Clear-sky percentage for Paris in August, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early August 1st–15th	46%	n=120	78°F
Late August 16th–end	30%	n=128	78°F
Full month average	38%	n=248	78°F

Sunshine & warmth in August

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Paris in August. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early August 1st–15th	82%	n=120
Late August 16th–end	62%	n=128
Full month average	72%	n=248

12.0 h median sunshine per day 81% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 31% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 38%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 72%. The 34-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Paris is mostly overcast in August historically: only 38% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 78°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Paris

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Paris, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	0%	n=248	All destinations →
February	0%	n=226	All destinations →
March	1%	n=248	All destinations →
April	10%	n=240	All destinations →
May	14%	n=248	All destinations →
June	33%	n=240	All destinations →
July	45%	n=248	All destinations →
August ← this page	38%	n=248	All destinations →
September	28%	n=240	All destinations →
October	6%	n=248	All destinations →
November	0%	n=240	All destinations →
December	0%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Paris in August?

Sometimes. Paris sees measurable rain on 31% of days in August historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Paris good for sun in August?

It's mixed. Paris in August is clear on 38% of days historically (avg high 78°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — the outcome varies year to year.

How Paris compares in August

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Paris this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Paris vs London in August — London is 28% clear historically
→ Paris vs Amalfi Coast in August — Amalfi Coast is 49% clear historically
→ Paris vs Barcelona in August — Barcelona is 53% clear historically

→ Paris live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in August — all destinations ranked by August clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.