Storms to end, sun for some: French weekend weather outlook June 22 - June 23
Some departments remain on alert for river flooding and heavy rain today June 21 as storms make a final passage across France
The weekend will see an improvement from storms, but skies may still be cloudy and grey
Sebastian_Photography / Shutterstock
The current episode of severe storms in France is set to come to an end over the weekend, although some are expected to still be present today (Friday June 21).
The red-level alerts for river flooding in the north-west of France were lifted overnight, but not before the Oudon river recorded its highest ever water levels, nearly 50cm more than the previous record from 1996.
However 10 departments are still on a level-three orange warning for river flooding or heavy rains/flash flooding. These are:
Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Sarthe, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Yonne, Nièvre, Isère, and Hautes-Alpes.
Read more: What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings
Storms are set to continue across the central belt of France, from the eastern parts of Brittany to the Swiss border.
However, conditions will not be as severe as they were earlier this week, with rainfall set to be less intense, and little chance of hail or lightning.
You can see videos and photos of the most dramatic episodes below.
Read more: VIDEOS: Hail, floods, and lightning batter France
Read more: VIDEOS: Rain, hail and even a tornado batter France, storm alerts raised
Weekend outlook
Saturday will see the stormy period definitively come to an end, however a series of clouds moving south from the British Isles will cover the north, centre, and south-west of France with drizzling rain and grey skies.
Temperatures will subsequently be slightly lower than seasonal averages, except on the Mediterranean coast, where they may reach 27C.
An anticyclonic wind from the Azores islands will reach France on Sunday (June 23), pushing the colder British winds away and leading to rain-free – if cloudy – skies.
Normandy and Brittany will benefit most, seeing temperatures rise and having more sun than the rest of the country.
However, fortunes are reversed for those in the south-east, where temperatures may be some of the lowest, hovering around 19C, whereas in the north and south-west, highs of over 20C are likely.
Early forecasts for the start of next week are that temperatures will return to June averages and there will be a bout of sunny weather across the entire country.
A series of storms are predicted in the east in the latter half of the week however, and rain is forecast across from Wednesday (June 26) onwards across the country.
