French weekend weather forecast June 28 - 29: ‘historic’ heatwave begins in south

The third official heatwave of June will begin this weekend and is set to cover essentially all of France until the end of the month.

Temperatures close to 40C (in the shade) are expected in the south, and humid heavy heat will cover most of the country. 

Weather forecaster La Chaîne Météo is calling the heatwave ‘historic’ for its intensity so early in the summer. It is caused by incoming anticyclone winds from the Atlantic.

However, the threat of further storms after several violent episodes this week has come to an end.

Friday June 27 

Four departments in the south are already on a heightened orange alert for heatwaves – Pyrénées-Orientales, Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône and Hérault. 

Temperatures of around 35C are likely across the Mediterranean coast, rising to 39C inland. 

In the north, it will remain mostly cloudy – with temperatures reaching around 25C maximum – but in parts of the south around 13 hours of direct sunlight is forecast. 

Temperatures will stay warm into the night: at 21:00, it is expected to be 26C in Paris, 29C in Lyon and Toulouse, 32C in Marseille and potentially 34C in Montpellier. 

Several forests in the the Bouches-du-Rhône department are closed as the high temperatures increase the risk of forest fires.

Saturday June 28 

Cloud coverage will be limited to the English Channel and parts of Normandy with clear skies elsewhere. The sunshine will again be particularly strong in the south. 

Morning temperatures will range from 15C in the north to 25C in the south, quickly rising to highs of 28C - 30C in the north and around 36C/37C in the south. 

Around three-quarters of the country (south to north) will see highs of 30C or more.

As of Friday evening, high (orange) alerts have been raised by Météo France in 15 departments due to the heat on Saturday.

These alerts are subject to change and may be altered at any point up to and throughout Saturday, meaning it is best to check the Météo France website regularly for the latest information. 

Sunday June 29 

Sunday will see the heatwave ‘expand’, as conditions in the north become warmer. 

Morning temperatures of around 15C will quickly turn into highs of 28C along the English Channel, and 32C - 35C across the northern half of the country.

In the south, overnight temperatures of around 20C - 25C will turn into highs of 36C - 39C, potentially hitting 40C at several points.

Official weather alerts for Sunday are not yet available, but it is likely that departments in the south will remain on heightened alert and several in the north will join on either Sunday or Monday (June 30). 

As a reminder, for canicule warnings to be raised both day- and night-time temperatures need to be above a certain level, preventing the warnings coming into place for one-off heat spikes. 

Early forecasts for next week predict the heatwave could continue across the country until at least Wednesday. 

National average temperatures could reach close to 28C on Sunday, around 8C higher than usual for the season, with even higher temperatures are expected at the start of next week.

If average temperatures remain this high for several days between Friday and next Wednesday, a rarer national heatwave warning (vague de chaleur) may be put in place.