French weekend weather forecast July 4 - 5: temperatures rise on eve of new heatwave
Highs of 40C possible in the south as all regions see temperatures increase
High temperatures are coming to the south and south-west this weekend including Montpellier (pictured)
Gerald Villena/Shutterstock
A new period of intense heat is set to begin across France this weekend, as temperatures in the south-west reach up to 35C and potentially 40C in the south at the start of the weekend.
The arrival of a high-pressure wind system from the Azores settling over the west and south will bring calm weather but also high temperatures.
Forecasters are certain that the rise in temperatures this weekend will continue into next week, causing France to experience its third major heatwave in as many months.
However, it is unlikely that temperatures will reach as high as those recorded in June.
Friday July 3
Friday sets the tone for the weekend with mostly calm skies and growing heat alongside plentiful sun.
Morning clouds in the north will quickly disperse, with only the south-west failing to benefit from at least 10 hours of sunshine.
A slight risk of rain remains in the upper ranges of the Jura, Alps, Massif Central and Pyrénées mountains, but is unlikely to bring anything more than drizzle if it arrives.
Highs of 27C in the north (29C in Paris, naturally hotter due to its urban environment), 30C in the west and centre, and 32C in the south are forecast, increasing to 36C in Marseille and Montpellier.
Heightened heatwave warnings across the south of France have been lifted (they remained in place at the start of the week despite the June heatwave ending elsewhere) but state forecaster Météo France has kept six departments on the highest risk for forest fires.
The Mistral and Tramontane winds are expected to blow up to 80km/h on Friday, which combined with dried-out vegetation greatly increases the threat of wildfires spreading.
Saturday July 4
Calm weather continues on Saturday as temperatures begin to rise.
Skies remain sunny throughout, with no risk of rain and little cloud coverage.
In the north, highs of 27C - 30C are forecast, with 31C in the west and Brittany, but in the south-west and southern coast increases are more prominent.
It is worth noting that temperatures across these regions have remained higher than average for the past week – despite heatwave warnings being lifted – meaning this is only a couple of degrees higher than what was recorded midweek.
It is expected to reach up to 35C in the south-west, and closer to 38C across Provence and Montpellier/Marseille.
Temperatures overnight should remain below 20C in the north, and around 21C in the south-west, and it is only along the southern coast and Provence that temperatures will remain significantly above 20C (around 24C - 25C) across the night.
As a reminder, heatwave (canicule) warnings are not raised until temperatures reach above a certain local threshold for three consecutive days, and this applies to both day- and night- time temperatures.
Sunday July 5
Due to this, heatwave warnings will not be in place by Sunday, even if temperatures continue to increase.
Conditions will remain almost identical to Saturday, with clear sunny skies across the country.
Temperatures will remain roughly the same in the north, but continue to rise slightly in the south-west, where 35C is expected around Bordeaux.
Overnight temperatures in the area will increase, unlikely to drop below 23C in many areas, including coastal cities such as La Rochelle and Bordeaux.
State forecaster Météo France only provides official weather warnings up to one day in advance, but it is possible that by Monday (July 6) heatwave alerts will be in place across certain southern departments due to conditions over the weekend.
Forecasters expect heat to continue to rise across the start of next week, with temperatures of 30C and above across all of France on Monday and potentially reaching 40C in the south and south-west by Tuesday (July 7).
The exact length of the heatwave is unclear, but Météo France is expecting conditions to remain unchanged until at least Thursday (July 9) and La Chaîne Météo predicting it will last until at least Sunday (July 12).
The latter is however predicting that national average temperatures will remain below 27C, around 3C cooler than in June’s record-breaking heatwave.
