Record autumn sunshine forecast in France until Sunday

Forecaster Météo France has predicted “very pleasant” record-breaking conditions between now and Sunday, with above-average temperatures in much of the country.

Highs of 20-23°C are expected in the Nord and near the Channel, with 23-28°C across the rest of France. This follows on from fine weather for much of the week; on Wednesday, Orléans (Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire) recorded a high of 27.2°C.

Météo France said the warm temperatures were the highest it had ever seen for October.

It explained: “It has not been this warm this late in the year since records began in 1938. This breaks the previous record, which was October 7, 2009.”

The fine weather will stay until Saturday, before which temperatures will drop to around 15°C and rain is forecast for most of the country.

Strong gusts of wind of up to 80-90 kph and choppy seas are also expected in the Mediterranean, even if temperatures will not be as low in coastal regions come Sunday.

The forecaster explained that the unusually-fine weather was being brought in by a “vast system of low pressure off the Atlantic coast, combined with an anticyclone present in Eastern Europe”.