French weekend weather forecast May 16 - 17: cool but rain eases
Temperatures will be closer to a typical March day than mid-May but will begin to rise
Showers are expected across the north, although should ease by Sunday. Archive photo shows a rainy day in Lille
J.K2507/Shutterstock
It will be noticeably calmer this weekend than at the end of the week, although the threat of rain remains across much of the north.
Temperatures remain below seasonal averages throughout the country but will increase as the weekend progresses before returning to May norms next week.
Friday May 15
Friday will see the continuation of stormy weather across a central belt, moving from the Pyrénées to the Alps.
It will bring up to 30mm of rain to the Pyrénées, and snow at altitudes of 1,300m and above to the southern mountain range as well as the Alps and Massif Central. Up to 50cm of snow may fall at the highest Alpine peaks.
A second possible set of storms will move across a more northern route, beginning in Nantes and potentially hitting southern Normandy/Paris before heading towards the German border. However, it will be weaker and pass relatively quickly and is unlikely to lead to prolonged downpours.
A chilly start saw some frost in Normandy and Hauts-de-France, with highs of 11C to 14C across the north and 15C - 19C in the south.
However, the national average temperature across the entire day is set to be around 10C, closer to a typical March day than the middle of May.
Powerful winds – including the Mistral and Tramontane – may make it feel even cooler.
Saturday May 15
Unsettled weather will persist across the north of France, with showers expected from Normandy to Vichy, and as far east as Strasbourg.
This rain however will be patchy and light and not lead to extended downpours.
North of the Loire, it will be cloudy regardless of rainfall, with little sunshine. This includes in Brittany, where menacing grey clouds will be prevalent despite a lack of rain.
Patches of rain in the Pyrénées are forecast, but unlike on Friday they will not lead to storms or spread further north.
Moving southwards it will become progressively sunnier until reaching the Mediterranean, where a standard late spring day is forecast, with plentiful sun even if a little cooler than usual.
Temperatures will climb nationally, with highs of 12C - 15C in the north and 15C - 20C in the south. This is still below average for the season, but higher than Friday.
Sunday May 17
While rain is possible in much of the north – Lille, Paris, Rennes and most of Normandy – and will stretch down to Bordeaux and Limoges, it will only fall in brief and light showers, stopping by the evening.
Cloud coverage in the north will be thicker, but the east, south-east, and along the western coast should be mostly sunny. The Riviera will again see the most sunshine.
Temperatures will climb further, with highs of 14C - 15C across the north, and reaching to potentially 17C along the German border.
In the south, highs of 17C - 20C also show an increase from Friday.
Early forecasts for next week show the continuation of rain in the north until midweek, but the south will remain under calm skies with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures will rise back to typical May levels.
