Rallye Monte Carlo: the latest weather report ahead of WRC opener
20th January 2026Rallye Monte Carlo will kick off the World Rally Championship season this weekend, but it is not all smooth sailing as the competitive region has a weather warning in place.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
The Rallye Monte Carlo is set to take its place as the sport’s traditional curtain raiser this weekend, starting from Thursday, January 22, up until Sunday, January 25.
Despite being named Rallye Monte Carlo, it will be hosted around the French region of Gap, north of Monaco. As such, the teams and crews will have to tackle a total of 339.15km of competitive French terrain.
However, they will face the Monaco circuit in the principality.
The weekend is not set to be plain sailing with the weather as snow, rain and sunshine are expected to be in the mix. Additionally, a weather warning is in effect in the region where Gap is located, regarding avalanche warnings.
The weather warning, according to Meteo-France, is set to be in place until at least January 21, at midnight (Paris time).
So, according to BBC weather, what is the weather forecast looking like ahead of the Rallye Monte Carlo?
Thursday
Three stages are set to open up the season in the WRC, and it is expected to be a wet start to the season as rain is forecast all day in the region, on Thursday, following a light snow shower in the morning.
Temperatures will start low across the day, going as low as zero degrees, but will max out at 6° by 2pm.
The chance of precipitation is likely for the opening day of the championship. It will sit as low as 19% at 6am before increasing up to 97% by 11pm. For the starting stages of the 2026 season, the chance of rain will sit around 81-97%.
Friday
Following on from Thursday, the weather will remain within the region, with rain continuing on day two. According to the weather, there will be a spot of sun at 11am as the rain continues to fall.
It is expected to be a warmer day on Friday, with it expected to be the warmest day of the event. Temperatures will start as low as 2° and increase to 7° by 3pm.
The chance of rain remains high, with chances starting as low as 87% in the morning, increasing up to 100% by the afternoon.
Saturday
Saturday will see a mix of rain and snow, with sleet also expected to make an appearance through the day. The day will start snowy in the area up until 12pm, where it will turn to sleet before transitioning into rain.
However, it is expected to return to sleet and then snow as the day wears on.
-2° is set to be the lowest temperature of the day, around 8am, before rising to highs of 5° by the afternoon.
The chance of rain/snow remains likely with chances going as low as 60% through the day but maxing out at 77%.
Sunday
On the final day, it is expected to be a wintry day with the expectation of snow in the morning, converting into sleet in the afternoon before returning to snow in the evening.
Temperatures will be as low as -2° but will peak at 4° by the afternoon.
The chance of rain sits at a likely possibility, with chances being as low as 30% in the evening after steadily decreasing from 55% in the morning.
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
