Heavy rain set to batter south-west before a cold spell across France

France’s calm and mild weather is set to come to an abrupt end this week, replaced with heavy downpours and stormy skies.

Today (February 19) and tomorrow will see a continuation of the mild temperatures and clear skies, although there will be strong Mistral winds in the south.

On Wednesday (February 21) storms will begin to hit the north-west, bringing rain to Brittany, Normandy and the Hauts-de-France regions.

The storms will then move south, hitting most of the country but especially the south-west and centre-west.

More than 120mm of rain could fall locally, particularly around Bordeaux, and whilst in most areas rainfall will slow down by the weekend, here the rain will pick up, joined by clouds moving inland from the Atlantic.

Big temperature drop to come?

The arrival of storms and rain will not immediately coincide with a decrease in temperatures, however a severe drop is expected after the weekend (February 24).

Until then, temperatures will still be considerably above average for the month, reaching a peak on Thursday, despite the rain.

A few days of generally ‘average’ national temperatures will be followed by a plummet, and the final day of the month (February 29, with this being a leap year) the national average temperature will drop to below 4C for the first time in 2024.

Some areas may see temperatures considerably higher than this, particularly along the Mediterranean coast, which will be less affected by the cold weather.

Snow may return to lower mountainous areas, but this will be too little and too late to fully benefit those travelling for the winter holidays.

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