Rainfall of 50mm is expected in some areas on Saturday, but warmer temperatures will return to many areas over the next few days.
A wave of thunderstorms is expected to hit southern and eastern France this weekend as warm weather is temporarily replaced by heavy rain.
Temperatures are expected to reach 34°C in the southwest on Friday (July 5) despite cloudy skies, and around 30°C in the rest of the south.
In the north, temperatures will be average for the season, ranging between 20°C and 25°C.
However, a conflict between warm southerly winds bringing high temperatures and cooler northerly winds will bring storms from Friday evening.
The stormy weather will first affect the southwest – where the warm wind is strongest – and will move inland from the coast and the Basque Country.
Storms to become more intense on Saturday
Overnight and into Saturday morning (July 6), these storms will move north and east, covering the central belt of France, and bringing severe storms to the Rhone Valley as strong winds collide.
The storms could reach the German border in the north.
Some regions, particularly near the Alps and the Jura, will experience precipitation of up to 50 mm on Saturday as the storm passes.
Sunday (July 7) will see an end to the stormy weather, although temperatures will be slightly cooler than average across most of the country, except in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region.
Maximum temperatures of 32°C are expected in the hinterland of the region and around 30°C along the Mediterranean coast.
Forecasters expect this warm weather to continue in the south early next week, with the rest of the country gradually seeing higher temperatures and sunny skies.
Currently, there is no enhanced weather alert regarding storms, although some southern departments are on level 2 yellow alert for Saturday’s weather conditions.
This could change, however, if storm intensity increases throughout the weekend.
You can keep up to date with all weather reports via the official website Meteo France website.
