Provence town near Marseille was sunniest place in France in 2021

Anyone planning an escape to the sun might consider a trip to the town of Marignane in Bouches-du-Rhône, which has been revealed as the sunniest place in France this year.

Data from forecaster and weather specialist Météo France showed that in 2021, Marignane received the most hours of sunshine in the country, with 2,920 hours across around 300 days – equating to an average of 9.7 hours of sun [per sunny day].

Bouches-du-Rhône (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) saw record temperatures in general this year, reaching a maximum of 41.1C on August 13.

Marignane has a population of around 32,793 people. It is considered to be part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, and the largest suburb of the city of Marseille, to the northwest of the city.

The town also won the sunshine record for 2017, with 3,110 hours recorded that year (190 hours more than this year).

In contrast, the least sunny place in France in 2021 was Brest in Finistère, Brittany – although it saw 8% more sun this year than last.

Nationally, France had a colder year in 2021 than in 2020. Yet, Météo France has still warned that 2021 was still classed at one of the ten hottest years on record globally, as temperatures rise overall due to climate change.

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