The weather in Paris: some general info
People ask me about the weather in Paris all the time, and I'm always like, really? You don't wanna just Google it? Apparently people really don't wanna just Google it. So here goes.
I can only compare the weather in Paris to the other places I've lived, those being primarily Philadelphia and New York. So, the weather in Paris all year round is generally really pretty similar to the weather in Philly and New York. However, it's less extreme in both directions; in Paris you don't get those disgustingly hot and humid summer days like we do in NYC, and you don't get bitter cold snowy days in winter either. But the rest is pretty much the same!
One other difference I've noticed is that wintertime in Paris is extremely gray and gloomy, basically for several months solid, whereas in New York you get a lot of winter days with beautiful, clear, sunny skies, even if it might be really cold out. The seemingly endless winter gloom in Paris can be a real drag, but springtime is so magical it really makes up for it.
In New York we get a few significant snow falls a year, sometimes a downright blizzard with a couple feet of snow falling over night. This basically never happens in Paris; some winters go by with no snow at all, and when it does snow it's never more than an inch or so, and it's gone quick.
Of course, Paris is known for its beautiful springtime, and summer is basically an extension of that, as it never gets too terribly hot (most years). Autumn is really very similar to what we get in NYC. Winter is cold, and very gray, as I mentioned above, but it never gets too horribly cold. A quick example: every winter in NYC I hold out as long as I can before busting out my heavy coat and wool hat. In Paris I've never had to wear a hat in wintertime at all, and most days I'm okay with a sweater and a light jacket rather than a big ol' coat.
Since summer is usually not super hot, you often get very warm days that turn a bit chilly at night. So in NYC I'd never need a jacket at night in summertime, it's good to have something with you just in case when you're in Paris. As soon as the sun goes down the temperature can really drop.
While there's hardly ever any snow in wintertime in Paris, you do get the occasional rainy day, and early spring can be very rainy too. Fortunately it's easy to find a cheap umbrella basically anywhere you go, as all the souvenir shops sell them (as well as H&M, Monoprix, etc).
Okay, that's a pretty good summary of weather in Paris. Seriously, you can just Google this stuff and get all kinds of info about average temperatures for each month of the year and plenty of good stuff like that. Go for it.
Have fun!
What to wear (and what NOT to wear) during your stay in Paris
Using the Paris Métro (subway)
A general note about cafés, bars, and restaurants