France to bask in temperatures up to 32°C this weekend

Forecaster Météo France said the weather would have “a scent of summer”, with temperatures on Sunday expected to be 7-10°C higher than the seasonal average. Peaks of 31-32°C “may be possible” in the south west, the forecaster said.

Today (Friday), it will reach 26-29°C in the south west, climbing to 30°C towards the Pays Basque and Béarn.

The south east will see temperatures of 21-24°C, while a slightly more moderate 18-22°C is expected for much of the northern half of the country.

It will stay hot on Saturday, despite some areas being expected to stay cloudier than others. Some showers are expected on the north and north west coasts.

Rain is also forecast across much of the country for Saturday lunchtime, but most places will return to sunnier, hotter conditions by the late afternoon.

Maximum temperatures are set to hit 27-30°C in the south west, along with a maximum of 24°C in Strasbourg, 25°C in Lyon, and 26°C in Clermont-Ferrand.

As well as high south west temperatures, the forecast on Sunday is for 25-27°C across much of the rest of the country, including in Paris and Alsace.

The hot weather will reach France due to a weather pattern from the south west causing hot air from Spain and Portugal to travel further north, Météo France said.