French weekend weather forecast November 8 - 9: Grey and rainy

A grey and damp weekend is expected, with clouds and fog over much of the east and rain elsewhere.

The conditions are likely to mar outdoor activities for those taking a long-weekend as they faire le pont with the public holiday on Tuesday, November 11. Rain and grey skies will continue into the holiday at the start of next week. 

Heightened weather alerts are unlikely as conditions will be dreary rather than dangerous.

Friday November 7 

Grey skies will cover most of the north and west, with showers in Brittany and Normandy throughout the morning. These grey clouds will move progressively east, but rain will stop around Paris.

Later in the day, showers will cover the entire Atlantic coast, and walkers have been warned over potentially dangerous waves in the area.

In the south, storms in Corsica may make their way to the Alpes-Maritimes department and south-east generally, but are unlikely to push inland. Rain is likely along the Riviera, at least in the morning.

Western stretches of the Mediterranean will remain sunny with few clouds.

Highs of around 14C in the north (aside from a particularly chilly 7C in Strasbourg) and up to 19C in the south are still for the most part warmer than usual, leading to a prolonged period of above average national temperatures in France. 

Saturday November 8 

Rain will move from the Atlantic coast to the south-east, hitting the Massif Central and potentially bringing a new round of storms to the south-east and Corsica. 

In Brittany, Normandy, and around Paris, skies will be mixed, switching between grey and sunny spells but rain is unlikely.

Moving east, fog is expected to last into the day, and drivers should be aware. 

Snow will continue to fall at the highest points of the Pyrénées. 

Temperatures will be similar across most of France, with a steady high of 14C to 15C. Strasbourg (again around 7C) and Nice (up to 18C despite the risk of storms) are outliers. 

Sunday November 9 

Conditions will improve in the south, with rain unlikely to fall anywhere south of the Loire, although persistent grey skies may prevent the return of sunshine. 

Corsica, however, will still face a risk of thunderstorms.

In the north-west, rain is expected, with scattered showers from the Atlantic coast to Paris and potentially the Belgian border. 

Fog will remain persistent in the east. 

Temperatures will remain steady, dropping by 1C or 2C in the north but rising by the same amount along a sunnier Mediterranean. 

Early forecasts show that a new disturbance from the Atlantic will push across France on Monday November 10, bringing rain and grey skies to most areas except the south-east. 

On the public holiday of November 11 itself, persistent drizzle in the west and east will continue, with a potentially heavy downpour in the south-east and Corsica.