Red flood alerts continue in south-west - and more heavy rain expected

France faces another week of intense weather conditions, with rainfall and strong winds in the south and a further bout of snowfall in the north. 

Red weather alerts for river flooding remain in place - and weather warnings are likely to continue throughout the week. 

Temperatures should remain at seasonal levels, however, with high humidity also present.

Monday February 16

Continued rainfall across the weekend has led to much of the south-west facing alerts for river flooding. 

This includes tier-four red alerts (the highest possible) in Gironde and Dordogne over the Garonne river. 

Haute-Garonne is also facing a tier-three orange warning for heavy rain/flash flooding, and Alpine departments in the east show heightened warnings over the risk of avalanches. 

Between 30mm to 50mm of rain is expected in parts of the south-west, causing river levels to rise further across the area. 

Soils are already saturated by higher-than-usual rainfall over recent weeks, leading to flooding alerts. 

Precipitation is also expected in the Alps, with fresh snowfall at higher altitudes.

Elsewhere, thunderstorms will cover Normandy and reach inland as far as Paris in the morning, eventually bringing rain across the north.

Winds of up to 100 km/h are possible along the northern and western coasts.

Highs of 8C - 10C in the north, 12C in the south-west and up to 15C along the Mediterranean are forecast despite a general lack of sunny weather. 

Tuesday February 17 

Tuesday will begin calmly, with showers limited to the north-east and inland areas of the south-west. 

By the afternoon however, a new bout of Atlantic rainstorms will move in, covering both the western coast and Brittany before heading inland overnight. 

Temperatures will remain similar to Monday, dropping by around 1C in the north, although along the Riviera highs of 17C are possible, alongside mostly sunny skies; 

Wednesday February 18 

Rainfall from Tuesday night will remain in place across most of the country, with only the eastern Mediterranean coast expected to stay dry (although it may be overcast).

Winds of around 80 km/h along the western coast are expected throughout the day, and river flood warnings are almost certain to be extended due to the rain. 

In the north, the arrival of bitter winds will see rainfall turn into snow showers, running from the Belgian border to the Alps. 

However, temperatures will remain around the same as the start of the week (they are measured at ground level, excluding the ‘real feel’ from other elements such as wind or sun) so snow is unlikely to settle.

Temperatures in the south-west – where thunderstorms may appear along the coast – will reach up to 17C and it will be humid and muggy despite the rain.

Thursday February 19 

More rain will arrive from the west, gradually moving across much of the country, with significant rainfall expected in the centre and east. 

Thunderstorms in Corsica are unlikely to move into mainland France but may impact coastal sections of the Riviera.

North of the Loire it should remain dry and cloudy, with further snowfall unlikely, although temperatures will drop. Highs of 4C to 6C are expected, but temperatures elsewhere will stay similar to the start of the week.

Powerful gales are also forecast from the west and centre to the Mediterranean, reaching potentially 100 km/h. Weather alerts are likely to be raised later in the week. 

Friday February 20 

Precise conditions are unclear due to the number of incoming weather patterns across the week, but early forecasts point towards further dry and calm weather in the east.

However, there is a risk of rainfall from the English Channel moving into Normandy and the Paris area in the evening.

Rainfall from Thursday is expected to move south, combining with the Mistral and Tramontane winds to potentially bring storms to the south. 

Snowfall is possible in the Alps and Pyrénées at around 1,000m.