French weekly weather forecast March 23 - 27: A drop in temperature of up to 10C

France is bracing for a sudden cold turn this week with temperatures set to drop by around 10C in some areas. 

Following a dramatic shift in conditions on Wednesday, morning frosts are expected as well as rainfall and snow at higher altitudes. 

Monday March 23 

The week starts calm with clear skies in the south and wispy clouds in the north. 

Rain is limited to brief showers in the Rhine.

Temperatures will remain slightly below average for the season, 14C - 16C in most of the country although Bordeaux (18C) and Belfort (12C) are outliers. 

Tuesday March 24 

Conditions will remain similar on Tuesday, although cloud coverage will become more widespread, with only the Mediterranean and Rhône Valley seeing fully clear skies.

Temperatures will rise by around 1C from Monday, making Tuesday the only day this week to see national average temperatures reach above seasonal averages.

Note that despite the warm afternoon, the first touches of frost may appear overnight between Monday and Tuesday, with some areas of central France seeing temperatures drop to 0C overnight. 

Wednesday March 25 

Polar winds sweeping in from the north will bring a sudden shift in conditions across France. 

Starting overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, the rain will move in rapidly through Normandy, Brittany, and Hauts-de-France, continuing south on Wednesday morning. 

By midday, it will reach the Alps and Pyrénées, leaving only the south-east dry. 

Highs of 8C in the north and 12C in the south-west are forecast – a drop of around 6C - 8C from the start of the week – but it will reach up to 17C in Nice, which will not be impacted by the winds.

Rain will ease in the evening and be limited mostly to showers in Normandy and the Pyrénées.

However, snowfall is forecast in most mountain ranges, including the Massif Central and Alps. 

Thursday March 26

Renewed rainfall is forecast for the centre and east of France, although most other regions will remain dry albeit chilly. 

Temperatures will again drop, with highs of 7C in the north and 10C in the south-west.

In parts of central and eastern France, it may struggle to reach above 4C or 5C, around 10C colder than the start of the week.

The Mediterranean remains unaffected, with calm sunny skies and highs of around 15C, although there are early warnings of a hailstorm in the Riviera and Corsica – forecasts closer to the time will be more accurate in predicting the impact.

Snow is forecast at altitudes as low as 700m, with the Massif Central and Alps set to see the most snow, although there is a chance it will fall in the northern border regions around Belgium and Germany. 

Friday March 27 

An incoming anticyclonic high-pressure system from the Atlantic will push away the rain and clouds to the north of France (around Normandy, Grand Est, and Brittany), with clear and sunny skies forecast elsewhere.

The system will not disperse the chilly winds however, keeping temperatures at much the same level as Thursday. 

Fierce winds will blow in the south of France, with the risk of gales and possible alerts.

The cold overnight temperatures bring a risk of frost across most of France on Friday morning, with only Brittany, the Atlantic coast, and the Mediterranean guaranteed to be free from any frost. Gardeners beware! 

Early forecasts for the weekend show rainfall returning on Saturday for most of the country, before reducing to showers on Sunday. 

Temperatures will begin to increase at the end of the weekend, but will remain below seasonal averages well into next week.