Heatwave slowly ends, rain and storms forecast for end of week

France will see temperatures slowly drop throughout this week before the arrival of storms in the south and east on Thursday and rainfall across much of the country.

Heatwave alerts remain in place in the south-east today but have been lifted elsewhere as cooler night-time temperatures help limit the impact of warm days. 

Weather models do not predict the arrival of a sixth heatwave in France in the coming weeks, providing some relief after a record-breaking hot summer.

State forecaster Météo France, however, believes there is a high probability of the coming months being warmer than average, and this could see another heatwave appear in September, or otherwise unseasonably warm temperature peaks in October.

Tap water restrictions continue across France as a record drought is also in sight, with underground water tables at below-average levels and tens of thousands seeing tap water supplies cut off. 

Monday August 17 

A bout of storms in the east will mar an otherwise quiet start of the week. 

Arriving early in the morning, they will run along the German border, inland to the Champagne area, and as far south as the Alps before petering out in the evening. Rain and lightning is expected. 

Elsewhere, cloudy but calm conditions are forecast, with daily highs remaining warm. 

Highs of 30C in the north, 32C along the Loire Valley, and 31C in the south-west are all forecast, alongside highs of 36C along the Mediterranean. 

Six departments maintain heightened orange alerts for heatwave conditions on Monday. These alerts will last overnight before being lifted on Tuesday morning at 06:00.

Tuesday August 18 

A high-pressure Azores anticyclone system will arrive in the south-west of France and push itself across the country, reaching the Loire and Rhône Valleys. 

Alongside calm and sunny skies, the anticyclone will bring renewed warmer temperatures of 30C and above across south-west and central France, potentially reaching up to 35C in some areas. 

The south-east will retain highs seen at the start of the week, around 35C with peaks of 36C.
However, the warmer days are not accompanied by the intense hot winds or ‘heat dome’ effect that have caused previous heatwaves, and lower temperatures at night will help cool homes.

There is no chance of heatwave alerts being raised in these areas again, as the anticyclone winds will only briefly cover these regions. 

Elsewhere, temperatures will drop slightly, with highs of 27C in the north, but only around 22C along the Normandy and Brittany coasts. It will be cloudy across the north and east, where the anticyclone does not reach. 

Wednesday August 19 

Similar conditions are forecast on Wednesday, with the exception of a weak passage of rain across the Loire Valley in the early morning. 

Areas in the north will remain cloudy and will see temperatures drop by a further 2C or so, and in the south remain sunny and warm.

Highs of 35C are unlikely, but it is set to reach 30C across most of the south-west and Mediterranean. 

Thursday August 20 

The anticyclone will quickly move towards Italy on Wednesday evening, with powerful storms making their way into France from the east overnight in exchange.

These will quickly cross over the Alps, German border region, and Rhône Valley, bringing rain and lightning. 

They will continue towards the Atlantic coast, getting progressively weaker as the day progresses.

Stormy conditions are expected to last for much of the day in the east, and bring heavy rainfall. It is expected that Météo France will implement alerts over the storms due to the forecasted severity. 

Temperatures will drop across the south, and most areas of the country will see highs of 22C - 25C. Despite the stormy conditions, the Mediterranean coast may still see temperatures above this, at 26C - 27C.

Friday August 21 

Forecasts for Friday see rain cover essentially the entire country, with persistent drizzle in the north that becomes heavier the further south you head. 

Storms will continue in the south-east, potentially leading to another day of intense rainfall before dying down in the evening. 

Temperatures will drop once more, between 20C - 22C across most areas but will still 25C or above in the south-east under the storms. 

Early forecasts for the weekend see rainy conditions persist across the country, and temperatures dropping by another 1C or 2C.