10C temperatures drop as storms move in: French weekend weather outlook May 2- 4

France’s mini-heatwave is set to come to a sharp end this Sunday with temperatures forecast to plummet by around 6C to 10C. 

The summery weather will be replaced by storms across most of France, and even areas spared of rain are likely to see cloudy skies. 

These storms will also cause deposits of fine grains of dust and sand to fall across France, as far north as the English Channel.

Whipped up from the Sahara desert and carried across Spain and into France by stormy wind patterns, the dust is not a dangerous pollutant in itself but can turn skies an ochre hue and leave cars and buildings dirty. 

It is the second major event of its type this year, and this time may cause other pollutants to spike.

Friday May 2 

Conditions on Friday will point towards a gradual end of the mild conditions of the last week.

Clouds – mostly non-threatening and wispy – will slowly cover the country from west to east, however by the evening clouds in Brittany and Normandy may turn dark grey.

Rain is forecast in the south-west from the afternoon, potentially turning into stormy weather across the Pyrénées and up to the western Mediterranean coastline.

Later on at night, storms may occur along the Rhône Valley. 

Despite these conditions, temperatures are set to stay at recent levels, reaching 25C in most areas during the day – including the rainy south-west – and up to 30C in the north. 

Saturday May 3 

Storms will persist in the south-west, as well as parts of the north between Belgium and Brittany although coastal regions in the north will likely be spared. 

Some storms are also expected in the Alps. 

With the exception of a belt of cloudy weather along the Mediterranean, the rest of France will be sunny, with only the risk of slight, wispy clouds. 

Temperatures will drop a couple of degrees from the day before and are expected to reach 22C/23C in most places, with highs of 26C in Paris and Lyon. They will drop by around 5C in the north compared to Friday. 

Sunday May 4 

Sunday will see a major turn in conditions as Atlantic storms sweep across France. 

Running from the south-west to the north-east through the central areas of the country, the storms will bring rainfall and the risk of thunder. 

They are set to be particularly strong in the south, Massif Central, and east of France.

Official warnings from state forecaster Météo France are only available one day prior (so in this case, will not be given for Sunday until Saturday morning), so it is advised to check its website during the weekend to see if there are alerts for your area. 

Read more: What to do - and not do - in a red or orange weather alert in France

Storms are unlikely to reach north of the Loire valley, however conditions there will be mostly cloudy and cool.

The south-east, also avoiding the worst of the storms, will likewise see thick cloud coverage even if mostly spared from rain.

Temperatures across areas affected the most by the storms will see the biggest temperature drops – Strasbourg may see temperatures drop by at least 10C between Saturday and Sunday, as could Auxerre and other central cities.

Elsewhere, a drop of between 5C/6C is likely across almost all of France, with highs in the north of 14C to 17C, and in the south 18C to 20C (with the south-east slightly warmer after escaping the storms). 

Compared to Friday, temperatures could drop by around 12C in the north.