France set for a mini-heatwave: Weekly weather outlook April 28 - May 2

France is set for a warm spell this week, with temperatures closer to those usually seen at the beginning of June than the end of April. 

In an anomaly, it will be warmer in the north than the south for most of the week, although several areas are set to record highs of 25C or more across the country 

This is due to warm winds originating from the British Isles and moving southwards into France, rather than warm Atlantic or Mediterranean winds moving in from the south.

In the west, potential rain at the end of the week is set to see temperatures fall there earlier than elsewhere. 

Monday April 28 

The beginning of the week will be a good indicator to many for how the weather is generally set to progress. 

The north, south-west, and Mediterranean areas will experience sunny skies, with only the centre and parts of the Alps seeing rain (although in some parts thunderstorms are possible).

Average afternoon highs will be 22C, rising to 25C in Normandy. 

Tuesday April 29 

Temperatures will continue to rise on Tuesday, reaching closer to 25C in more areas including Brittany, Bordeaux, and Metz. 

Areas between Lyon and Nice faces some cloudy weather, which may develop into sporadic thunderstorms. Here, temperatures will be closer to 20C. 

Wednesday April 30 

Wednesday sees temperatures climb once more in the north, with 25C set to be the norm north of the Loire. 

Parts of Normandy and the north-east may reach 30C under a sky free of clouds, with Bordeaux and the Loire Valley slightly lower at around 27C/28C. 

Coastal areas will remain the coolest – parts of the Norman, Breton, and Mediterranean coastlines will see temperatures closer to 18C due to winds, but skies will still be mostly clear and sunny. 

Sporadic rain in the east is possible, but will be limited to areas of higher altitudes. 

Thursday May 1 

The warm weather will continue into the May 1 public holiday. 

Temperatures will remain almost identical to Wednesday, if not slightly warmer in some areas of the north, and coastal winds will be less impactful. 

Areas in the Pyrénées foothills may join the ranks of those experiencing highs of 30C, although other parts of the south-west such as La Rochelle and Toulouse will see temperatures of around 22C/23C.

Some early morning clouds along the northern coastlines are expected, but will be wispy and inconsistent and will leave by the afternoon. 

Friday May 2 

Temperatures will remain mostly similar to Thursday.

A slight increase in central areas will be compensated by a drop in the north of the Seine, as cool winds enter from Belgium. 

The winds may bring showers to Lille and the Hauts-de-France region, but will not spread further south.

However, incoming winds from the Atlantic may bring wispy white clouds to much of France throughout the day, moving eastwards across all regions. 

Alongside the reduced sunshine, parts of the west may see rain come along with the clouds, although rainfall may be staved off until the weekend.

Early forecasts for the weekend see a slight drop in temperatures, as well as some storms in the Pyrénées and rain in the south-west and east.