Paris has a typical oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), affected by the North Atlantic Current. The overall climate throughout the year is mild and moderately wet. Summer days are usually warm and pleasant with average temperatures between 15 and 25 °C (59 and 77 °F), and a fair amount of sunshine. Each year, however, there are a few days when the temperature rises above 32 °C (90 °F). Longer periods of more intense heat sometimes occur, such as the heat wave of 2003 when temperatures exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) for weeks, reached 40 °C (104 °F) on some days and seldom cooled down at night. Spring and autumn have, on average, mild days and cool nights but are changing and unstable. Surprisingly warm or cool weather occurs frequently in both seasons. In winter, sunshine is scarce; days are cool, nights cold but generally above freezing with low temperatures around 3 °C (37 °F). Light night frosts are however quite common, but the temperature will rarely dip below −5 °C (23 °F) and not every year. Snow falls every year, but rarely stays on the ground. The city sometimes sees light snow or flurries with or without accumulation. However, heat generated by buildings and traffic in the city also contributes to the disappearance of snow in the city center. The most likely time of the snowfall is between December and March. But it does not snow significantly for so many days. Paris has an average annual precipitation of 64.1 cm (25.2 in), and experiences light rainfall distributed evenly throughout the year. However the city is known for intermittent abrupt heavy showers.
