There will be no respite from intense weather conditions this week in France with storms set to sweep in immediately following the ‘historic’ heatwave experienced across most of the country.
High temperatures should come to an end on Thursday – when strong storms arrive – but heatwave conditions could remain in the south-east for several additional days.
With the exception of coastal Brittany and Normandy, all of the country is facing heatwave (canicule) alerts, with the vast majority of departments seeing a heightened tier-three orange alert – the second-highest possible.
Some Alpine storms are forecast, but elsewhere skies will be clear with no respite from the sun.
Highs of around 33C in the north (rising to 35C in Paris) and 38C in the south are expected, and temperatures will remain high late into the night and possibly overnight.
Hundreds of schools across the country have been closed due to the heat, in the final week before summer holidays begin (on Saturday July 5).
In the south-east, for example, temperatures remained above 26C for the entirety of Sunday night/Monday morning, and for most of the night were at least 28C.
This is a national record in France, said the country’s Minister for Ecological Transition.
The previous record was set in July 2019, when 80 departments across the country were on a heightened heatwave alert (and one for stormy weather).
Temperatures will be largely identical to Monday, although the areas where storms may occur will increase to cover the German border and parts of the Massif Central.
There is a risk of increased pollution levels from the heat, particularly around major cities such as Paris, Lyon, and Nice, and the north-east.
Wednesday July 2
Wednesday will see the two major weather events of the week cross each other’s paths.
The height of the heatwave in the centre and north, temperatures could reach above 40C – up to 42C in Paris – after several days of rising heat and humidity.
National average temperatures will be around 8C higher than usual for the season.
At the same time, storms will cover the south-west and swathes of the Mediterranean coastline, as well as continue in the Alps and Alsace.
Temperatures in the south will drop slightly due to the stormy weather, but still reach up to 36C in Strasbourg and Toulouse.
Thursday July 3
Storms are expected to cover most of France from the south-west to the north-east, with only parts of the French Riviera and the English Channel spared.
They will likely be most powerful in central areas.
The storms will coincide with significant temperature drops in the north of around 10C, and 5C in the north-east and south-west.
Conditions will remain stable in the south-east, and although there is a risk of storms across part of the western Mediterranean, temperatures will remain the same.
Official warnings are not yet in place (Météo France only provides alerts up to one day in advance) but it is likely heatwave warnings will be lifted or decreased across most of France, particularly as both day- and night-time temperatures will drop.
However, heatwave conditions may persist in the south-east.
Overall national average temperatures will drop by around 7C (this is still slightly warmer than average for the season).
Friday July 4
Storms will mostly be limited to mountain ranges in the south, with the north remaining sunny and clear.
However, the passage of storms on the previous day will have helped drop temperatures, and will hover at between 25C and 30C almost everywhere.
Along the English Channel they will be slightly lower – dropping to potentially 21C – and as high as 35C along the Mediterranean.
Early forecasts for the weekend predict a bout of rain in the north but similar conditions to persist in the south
