Do low-humidity areas exist in France? Where can information about them be found?
High humidity can be uncomfortable, particularly in the summer
The hottest areas are not necessarily the host humid
Vereshchagin Dmitry / Shutterstock
Reader Question: I am looking to move to France and want a low-humidity area. Is there any way to check where these are?
Humidity in France can be a complex topic, as it is not just a case of avoiding hot areas assumed to be likely to be also humid.
Areas in the south can have high humidity, particularly the south-west near the Spanish border, as well as some coastal areas of the Mediterranean (such as in Nice and Toulon) especially when winds are not strong.
However, generally-speaking, areas in the north, along the Channel and Atlantic coast are in fact the most humid, according to state forecaster Météo France.
Some places in Brittany can get close to 100% humidity, due to the ocean winds.
The issue is further complicated, however, by the distinction sometimes made between ‘absolute’ humidity, a measure of the grams of water per cubic metre of air, and ‘relative’ humidity, a percentage measure of how much moisture is in the air compared to how much it can hold (the ‘holding capacity’ rises as temperatures rise): 100% relative humidity represents air completely saturated in water vapour.
‘Relative humidity’ tends to be the best measure of how humid it ‘feels’. A map aiming to show real-time relative humidity levels is available here, although this is not an official source. Another online map showing humidity can be found here, with red and orange areas having the lowest humidity, though it does not state if this is absolute or relative.
Read more: Gardener develops cacti suitable for the temperatures of… Normandy
What level of humidity is comfortable?
People generally find relative humidity of 30% to 70% or 80% bearable, with amounts above this causing discomfort, often in combination with high temperatures.
The least humid areas are generally inland areas of the south that have strong winds (Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Pyrénées) and mountainous parts of the Massif Central, including Auvergne, and the Alps.
The presence of water (coast, lakes, and rivers) can all increase humidity levels locally, as water vapour enters the air.
No land in mainland France is classed as a desert, and so everywhere is close enough to a body of water to remain at least partially humid. In all regions, also, heavy rainfall can sometimes turn areas more humid, even at higher altitudes.
One thing to be aware of is that zone humide is a geographical term for wetlands in France, and is not related to humidity in the air.
