French weekly weather forecast July 21–25: summer pauses with rain, storms, and cooler temperatures

A mix of rain, cooler temperatures, and storms will put the feeling of summer on pause this week as chilly high-pressure winds from the British Isles cover France.

National average temperatures will remain below normal for the season, and Thursday will drop to around 3C lower than usual for mid to late July. 

Monday July 21 

A shift in weather patterns on Sunday night means heavy storms that were forecast to cover France are now unlikely – however, Lille and the Hauts-de-France may see stormy activity, and this may drift eastwards to the German border in the afternoon.

It does not mean France is free of rain, with showers falling across the entire western coast, Normandy, Brittany, and central France. 

Several two-tier yellow warnings remain in place across northern and eastern France over the risk of storms, but no heightened alerts have been given.

Grey skies in the morning in the south will disperse by around midday, leading to sunny weather in areas untouched by storms. 

Highs of around 20C to 22C in the north, 24C in the south, and 26C along the Mediterranean are expected. 

Nice and Corsica will see the highest temperatures of around 30C. 

A noticeable aspect of this cooler period is that night-time temperatures have also dropped, allowing homes to cool overnight and removing the threat of heatwave warnings.

Tuesday July 22 

Conditions will improve on Tuesday as anticyclone winds from the Atlantic briefly battle with the cooler British gales.

Rain will be restricted to coastal Brittany and the English Channel, and skies in the north will be covered with wispy whiter clouds rather than menacing grey ones. 

The south will be mostly sunny, although some cloud coverage along the Mediterranean is expected.

Temperatures will rise slightly in the north, with highs of 25C, and reach up to 30C along the Mediterranean. 

Toulouse and the south-west will see temperatures increase to around 28C. 

Wednesday July 23 

The brief respite of Tuesday will end as the rains in Brittany sweep across most of France on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. 

Rain will move from the western coast to the eastern borders throughout the day, gaining in intensity and potentially bringing storms to the north around Paris. 

Powerful storms are expected in the Rhône Valley and Cévennes mountains, potentially hitting the Mediterranean coast. 

Expect heightened weather alerts to be put in place nearer the day. 

Temperatures in the north will again drop, with highs of 20C in Paris and the surrounding areas, and 22C elsewhere. 

Along the Mediterranean it will remain warm – highs of 28C are possible – but there will be a noticeable drop in the south-west with temperatures only reaching in the region of 20C around Toulouse and Tarbes. 

Thursday July 24 

Storms will clear, but showers are likely across most of France, particularly between Paris and Lyon and in parts of central France. 

Elsewhere, cloudy skies will dominate even if there is no risk of rain. 

Temperatures will remain cool, with the national average temperature reaching 18.9C – almost 3C lower than typical for mid-late July. 

Friday July 25 

The end of the week will see a new bout of anticyclone Atlantic winds move in from the west. 

These will bring clear skies and warmer temperatures to the western coast following early morning rains. 

As the day progresses, they will push rainfall out of France, although daytime showers are likely in central areas. 

A risk of stormy weather remains between the Pyrénées and the Alps

Early forecasts for the weekend show a mostly cloudy yet dry weekend, with temperatures beginning to climb again.