Drôme

The Drôme department is in a zone of transition between the oceanic climate of Lyon, the continental climate to the north and the Mediterranean climate of Provence to the south. In the Rhône valley, the meeting of the mild humid southern Mediterranean air masses with the colder northern air mass sometimes causes particularly violent thunderstorms and snowstorms.

In the northern hills near Tain-l'Hermitage (15 km north of Valence), the climate is a mixture of oceanic and semi-continental climates. Rainfall occurs throughout the year with the most falling in spring and autumn. The summers are moderated by storms and the mistral does not blow hard. Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse has a moderate temperature of 3 °C in January and 21 °C in July due to the Lyonnic climate, where more precipitation falls in summer than winter.

The influence of the mountains is evident in the east. In the Vercors Plateau, the mountain climate is wet due to the oceanic influences from the north. The average annual temperature at Lus la Croix Haute at altitude 1061m is 7.3 °C and the annual rainfall is 1051mm. The Diois (southern Vercors) and the Baronnies are dry regions due to the Mediterranean climate. The mistral is less influential here and this region has minimal rainfall. The lowest temperatures in January at Nyons is 0.3 °C but 1.4 °C at Pierrelatte.

The Valence plane is a transition zone between the Mediterranean influence and the northern cold climate. Summers are warmer than in the northern regions, and the increase in sunlight and heat is evident upon the appearance of Mediterranean vegetation in the region. The temperatures are moderate between Lyon and Montélimar. Valence's average temperature in January is 3.8 °C and 22 °C in July. The mistral here blows harder.

From Montélimar, the climate can be considered to be that of a Mediterranean climate. Near the highway, the change of vegetation is particularly visible near the stream at Donzère, particularly due to the change of the soil profile. The most southern part of the department clearly exhibits a Méso-Mediterranean climate with the reinforcement of the mistral and a hotter summer due to the rarity of storms. Most rainfall occurs in autumn and the winters are milder than the rest of the Drôme. Pierrelatte has an average temperature of 5 °C in January and 23 °C in July.

The most populous commune, home to about 1/8 of the department's population, is Valence, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]

• Total employment (2004): 158 930 (about 10.6% is self-employed)
• Unemployment rate (2006): 9.9%
• Jobs per sector of activity (2005)
  • Agriculture: 6.0%
  • Industry: 20.4%
  • BTP: 6.8%
  • Commerce: 15.0%
  • Services: 51.8%
• Qualification of Jobs (1999)
  • Farmers: 4.0%
  • CEO: 7.8%
  • Executives: 9.6%
  • Technicians and associate professionals: 23.0%
  • Employees: 27.2%
  • Labourers: 28.5%
• Average annual salary (2004)
  • CEO: 53 113 €
  • Executives: 39 265 €
  • Technicians and associate professionals: 22 927 €
  • Employees: 15 688 €
  • Labourers: 16 344 €
  • Apprentices and labourers : 7 498 €

• The Drôme benefits from an excellent image in the view of tourists. Attendance has grown steadily (+4% between 2006 and 2007), faster than the neighbouring departments of Ardèche and the Vaucluse (+1%).
• Number of overnight stays in 2007: 7,994,076
• The Tourism Committee of the Drôme department's website La Drôme, du Vercors à la Provence received over 44000 visits in 2007, along with a new TV station Drome.tv