Cold Christmas in France, but little chance of snow
High-pressure system will move into France from north-east at the start of next week
Temperatures will return to seasonal averages after several weeks of abnormally warm weather
Robsonphoto/Shutterstock
Temperatures will drop in France leading to a chilly Christmas week… but a ‘White Christmas’ is unlikely outside of the ski slopes.
A high-pressure system bringing cooler winds and a fall in temperatures will move across Europe next week, impacting France.
Temperatures will initially begin to drop over the weekend, before the cold front gradually moves across the country, with all of France affected by Christmas Day (next Thursday).
It comes after above-average temperatures have been recorded across much of France for several weeks.
By Christmas Day, temperatures will be at or below seasonal averages in all areas, with highs of around 3C in the north-east, 6C in the north and centre, 9C in the south-west and around 10C - 11C along the Mediterranean.
Cold… but dry
The cooler temperatures will bring frost to many regions including the north-east across the period.
While forecasters are not yet certain, the cold spell is expected to be dry, meaning most of France is not expected to see rain or snow, although along the Mediterranean higher humidity may lead to rainfall around Christmas – with snow at higher altitudes in mountain chains.
Some forecasting scenarios do point to snow at lower altitudes such as the central plains, but these are in the minority and most models support the dry hypothesis.
Even for models where some snow is predicted, it is expected to mix with rainfall and not settle.
Forecasters will be more confident in predictions at the start of next week, after weekend rain has cleared and the cold front begins to cover France.
Those heading to the slopes for Christmas however will be bolstered by the news of weekend snowfall across the Alps and Pyrénées.
