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Storms and gales of up to 100km/h in France as heatwave alerts to end
Strong winds forecast in north and storms in south as cooler weather arrives
Persistent rain and winds reaching nearly 100km/h will impact northern France today, as heightened heatwave alerts officially end in the south.
The disturbance, already moving in from the English Channel in the morning, will bring rain across an area from the Loire Valley to the Belgian border.
In the evening, it will slowly begin moving southwards, eventually reaching Provence and the south-west.
Rain will be continual but moderate, with only three departments – Manche, Isère, and Savoie – facing alerts for strong rain.
Winds in the north of France will be markedly stronger however, above 70km/h in most departments north of the Loire and closer to 90km/h along the coast. Finistère may see coastal gales of 100 km/h.
The south will face its own set of stormy conditions before the rain arrives, with thunderstorms passing between the Pyrénées and Alps in the early afternoon.
State forecaster Météo France has issued several tier-two weather warnings for winds in the north and storms in the south and east, but as of its 08:00 bulletin none of these are at a heightened level.
Tier-two yellow alerts generally ask people in the departments to stay vigilant, but do not ask them – or local authorities – to take specific action.
However, it is recommended to keep up to date with weather alerts, either through local media or the official Météo France website, to see if more severe alerts are raised.
You can read our article here for more tips on how to stay informed about quickly-changing alerts.
Temperatures to fall
Temperatures will drop today, with highs of 19C - 25C in the north and up to 30C in the south.
Departments remaining on a tier-two yellow heatwave alert (the Mediterranean coast and Rhône Valley) may see temperatures reach closer to 35C.
Similar to other weather alerts, tier-two heatwave warnings do not ask people to take specific action but to be mindful of the intense temperatures.
All heatwave warnings will be lifted overnight, with temperatures continuing to drop midweek.
Thursday is set to see national average temperatures drop below seasonal norms, due in part to chilly overnight temperatures across France.
There are currently no forecasts pointing towards another intense heat spike or heatwave for the rest of 2026, but the state forecaster previously predicted that temperatures for the season were most likely to be higher than normal this year.
