A true transalpine gateway commanding the passage from the Alps to the Mediterranean coast via the Montgenèvre pass, Briançon enjoys a rather mild climate despite its location at an altitude of 4,350 ft (1,326 m). Its sunshine rate of three hundred days a year guarantees Briançon at least two hours of sunshine a day. As for the mildness of the local climate, it is linked to the north-south orientation of the Durance valley that allows the warm air of the Mediterranean to rise up to Briançon while the clouds coming from the west and the Po plain are blocked by the mountains surrounding the city.