Mediterranean storms and lots of rain: French weekend weather update September 7 - 8

Update 17:18 : Seven departments in the south-west have been put on tier two (orange) alerts by the French weather service until Saturday at 15:00 due to the risk of flooding. The departments on alert are Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Vienne and Landes.

Unstable weather is set to continue across France this weekend with conditions changing rapidly.

Official weather alerts are expected, particularly in the south.

Forecasters say weather patterns can not be well predicted yet for Sunday and recommended people keep up with local weather reports.

Friday September 6 

Friday begins with a flip to weather conditions experienced for much of the week, with the east being calm and the west facing perturbations. 

Rain will hit the Atlantic coastline and storms will move inwards up to parts of central-western France (Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Indre all have lower-tier storm warnings in place). 

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques department faces a heightened warning for heavy rain/flash flooding, from 18:00 onwards, as rain is expected to become more intense in the area in the afternoon, after steadily falling throughout the morning.

Up to 100 mm is expected to fall at the foot of the mountain range in some areas over a 24-hour period, and around 50 mm - 70 mm in other parts of the department. 

Elsewhere, temperatures will reach between 17C and 28C, and except for early morning showers along the Belgian border, skies should be clear and mostly sunny. 

Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France

Saturday September 7 

Saturday will see storms move inland from the Mediterranean, affecting the Occitanie region and central parts of France up to Auvergne. 

They will bring gales of 90 km/h, and hail is expected to fall.

The storms will move north to central France throughout the day, but lessen in intensity as they do so. 

In the south-west, however, neither storms nor rain are forecast, and weather should be pleasant. 

Normandy and Brittany are forecast to have rain that may turn into stormy weather, although these storms will be less intense than those in the south.

The east will see warm and sunny weather continue, with temperatures up to 27C along the Rhine river and some Alpine foothills. 

Sunday September 8 

Predictions are still uncertain for Sunday, as many conditions are set to affect the skies. Below are early estimates and forecasters advise checking near the time.

Storms in the south-east will move inwards from the Mediterranean and may bring extreme rainfall, raising the risk of flooding in some areas. 

The storms will move up the Rhône valley throughout the day. 

Elsewhere, much of France is expecting at least some rainfall, with the exception of the south-west and parts of Hauts-de-France, which will be sunny with clear skies. 

Temperatures will drop around 5C between Saturday and Sunday, with highs of 20C in most areas (rising to 25C in the Mediterranean). 

Early predictions for next week are that temperatures will fall further, with only the Mediterranean experiencing highs of 20C or more throughout the week – lower than September averages.

Official weather warnings from state forecaster Météo France are only given two days in advance, and thus are not yet available for Sunday. 

You can check the official warning on its website closer to the time, to see how your area may be impacted by storms or rain.