French weekend weather forecast April 25 - 26: sunny and calm
Riviera will, unusually, be the coolest area
Clear skies are forecast across the country. Archive photo shows sunshine in Rouen
RossHelen/Shutterstock
France is set for a calm weekend, with dry and sunny weather expected nationwide.
Earlier forecasts suggested a risk of rain across much of the north and west, however updated predictions now show most of the country staying dry with above-average temperatures.
Only the Pyrénées are at risk of rain or storms, which will be brief if they do appear.
The calm conditions come due to the presence of a high-pressure system from the British Isles, which has swept across the entirety of France.
Friday April 24
Friday sets the tone for the weekend, with clear skies across most of the country and up to 12 hours of sunshine in the north and centre.
The south-west will see clouds around the Pyrénées and Pays-Basque into early afternoon, which bring a small risk of rain and light thunderstorms.
Temperatures of 20C - 24C in the north, up to 26C in central France and the south, are slightly above average for the season.
Saturday April 25
Calm and warm conditions continue across France, particularly in the north where temperatures will increase by 1C or 2C compared to Friday.
Cloudier skies are forecast, particularly north of the Loire, but will be wispy and unthreatening and mostly clear by late afternoon.
The Pyrénées face a slight risk of rain and storms, though state forecaster Météo France says any such conditions would be brief.
Sunday April 26
Conditions on Sunday are expected to be much the same, with forecasters confident the high-pressure system will hold throughout the weekend.
Thin, wispy clouds will again drift across northern France, without affecting the overall sunshine.
The risk of rain in the Pyrénées and Massif Central remains, but is unlikely to impact large areas, with any patterns being localised.
Temperatures will shift slightly, dropping by a couple of degrees in the north (highs of around 18C - 21C) but rising in the south, with highs of 26C along the western Mediterranean.
It is worth pointing out that despite seeing ample sunshine across the weekend, the French Riviera will be one of the coolest places, struggling to see highs reach above 20C.
Early forecasts for next week show a bout of rain moving in from the Pyrénées and Mediterranean on Tuesday, moving north to cover much of the south, with the north remaining dry, calm, and sunny.
