French weekend weather forecast October 10 - 11: a return to calm

France is set for a calm weekend, with sunny skies in the south and rainfall limited to the north.

It comes after the south of the country experienced several storms in the last two weeks.

Temperatures will rise slightly from their chilly midweek readings, but remain below seasonal averages until the start of next week, where they could reach 20C across the country.

Friday October 9 

Clouds will dominate north of the Loire, blocking sunshine across the day, with showers forecast across the English Channel and Brittany. 

Some stray showers may move further inland, but will be limited.

Moving south, skies become progressively sunnier before reaching the Mediterranean coastline, where some 10 hours of sunshine is expected. 

Temperatures in the north will hover at 15C - 17C, but in the east remain lower, at around 11C - 13C. 

In the south, temperatures may reach 20C along the Mediterranean. 

However, the mistral and tramontane winds will be blowing fairly strongly, making the conditions outside often feel colder than the given temperatures. 

A fall in temperatures since the start of the week has seen snow begin appearing.

Saturday October 10 

Cloud coverage will remain across the north and centre of France, with the sun breaking through at times. 

Some rain is possible along the English Channel and in a central belt running from La Rochelle to the German border, but again only brief and light showers are forecast.

The south will continue to benefit from sunny skies, although it will be slightly cloudier than on Friday.

Temperatures across the north and east will reach 15C - 18C, and in the south up to 21C. Pockets along the Riviera may even see highs of 23C - 24C.

Mistral and tramontane winds will continue to blow, but are expected to be weaker than on Friday.

Sunday October 11 

Conditions will remain mostly unchanged. The calm and cloudy skies from the north and central regions will move into the south-west, bringing darker skies, but it should remain dry in these areas.

Rain will be limited to two areas, one covering Brittany, and the other in the east near the German border.

The Mediterranean will continue to benefit from the warmest and sunniest weather.

Temperatures will drop by around 1C or 2C, but still remain above those seen throughout the week. 

Early forecasts for next week see rain covering the northern half of the country, with the south remaining dry.

Temperatures will rise, however, and could reach to 20C or more across the country, even in the rainy north.