Rain arrives in northern France as strong storms to hit south

Rain returns to northern France today before strong storms sweep across the south overnight, set to bring several days of disturbance to the south.

Beginning early in the morning, rain will move in from the English Channel and Breton coasts, reaching as far south as Paris, Reims, and Nantes. 

Temperatures in the impacted area will be around 15C cooler than in the south, with highs of 19C in Lille (Nord) and up to 37C near Montpellier (Hérault).

Downpours will be heavy for a brief morning period, before settling into a pattern of consistent drizzle that lasts throughout the day. 

Showers will clear up along the coastline in the evening, but last well into the night further inland.

The rain is set to bring welcome relief to the north, which has been plagued by droughts and tap water restrictions. Indeed, La Chaîne Météo (owned by Le Figaro) says the clouds and rain in the north are the first non-storm disturbance to hit the area since the beginning of June.

However, a single bout of rainfall will not be enough to help replenish depleted water supplies, which are now well below average for the season following the historic drought and heatwaves this summer. 

The heatwave ending this week was the second-longest ever recorded in France, lasting 22 days.

This included two separate peaks (commonly classed as the fourth and fifth heatwaves of the year), with lingering alerts in place across southern departments between the two intense periods.

It is unknown if a sixth heatwave will hit France later in the year, although state forecaster Météo France believes the coming months have a high chance of being warmer than average and has not ruled out the possibility. 

Strong storms to hit south

In contrast, daytime conditions in the south will be calm, sunny, and warm, feeling the final effects of a heat dome that covered much of France in the previous days.

As the evening progresses however, strong storms will form in the Pyrénées and move to cover the south. 

These storms will bring brief but intense periods of rain as well as possibly hail to the Pyrénées. 

Overnight, they will move eastwards across the Mediterranean and Massif Central, reaching the Alps in the morning.

Thursday (August 20) may see an épisode méditerranéen bring intense rain and storms along the southern coast.

An épisode méditerranéen is a brief but intense weather phenomena that appears as storm clouds are trapped between the sea and inland mountains, dropping large amounts of rain in a small area.

These storms bring the risk of hail and intense electrical activity to the area.

Storms are currently forecast to continue into Friday in the south-east. 

Currently, Météo France has only implemented tier-two yellow warnings for storms today, asking residents to remain vigilant of conditions. 

As storms progress however, these may be increased to a tier-three orange alert. 

This is particularly the case on Thursday, when more information about the severity of the storms is available.

People across the south should keep up to date with weather alerts, through both the Météo France website and local weather stations. Information on how to stay informed is available in our article here. 

Residents should also prepare properties – particularly if heightened alerts are raised – by tying down outdoor furniture, ensuring vehicles are parked safely and not underneath trees, and ensuring they have emergency supplies in the event of a power cut. 

More tips are available in our article here.