French weekend weather forecast October 3 - 4: storms persist in south-west

The south-west of France will see a weekend of stormy skies, although it should be calm across much of the rest of the country. 

Temperatures remain above normal for the season, particularly in the south-east, where it could reach 27C. 

Drivers in the north should note that morning fog is predicted and take precautions when on the road. 

Friday October 2 

Friday will be calmer than the weekend with rainfall limited to the Pays-Basque and the south-western coastline.

It is only in the evening that this is set to move inland across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and into central France, although it will mostly fall as intermittent drizzle.

There is the chance of renewed storms around Hérault and Gard – departments that saw the brunt of downpours and flooding earlier this week – but these will be brief and are not expected to develop. They are expected late in the evening.

State forecaster Météo France has not implemented heightened (tier-three or above) weather alerts for the storms.

Elsewhere, cloudy but dry conditions cover most of France, with increased sunlight in the west. 

Temperatures will reach highs of 20C - 23C in the north, rising to 26C in the south. 

Saturday October 3 

Calm conditions in the north and east will bring sunshine – albeit speckled with clouds – and mild temperatures, once the morning fog dissipates. 

Central areas will see thick clouds, but most areas will remain dry, with only weak showers forecast through the Massif Central. 

In the south-west, however, these clouds will develop into thunderstorms, which could stretch from the western Pyrénées to Montpellier. 

Storms are not forecast to bring intense downpours, but residents in the south-west should keep up to date with local reports across the weekend.

Highs of 21C in the north ranging to 25C in the south are forecast, rising to potentially 27C in the south-east along the Riviera. 

Sunday October 4

Sunday will see prominent sunshine across the north, with clouds only appearing south of the Loire.

A mostly calm day with any threat of storms limited to the south-west around the Pyrénées. 

Weather models are not yet able to confidently predict how far rain will spread on Sunday. While rain is likely in the Pyrénées as part of the thunderstorms, there is a chance that some rain drifts further north into the central plains, or east along the Mediterranean.

In either scenario, it is unlikely to be more than persistent drizzle and could be welcome in areas suffering from drought conditions. 

Temperatures remain above seasonal averages, reaching highs of 23C in the north and 25C in the south, rising to 27C along the Riviera. 

Early forecasts for next week show a warm and sunny start, before renewed storms hit the south-west and rain falls across the country midweek.