Temperatures of 30C in south-west France before Sunday storms

Several areas to face storms in a precursor to heavy rain next week

You should take advantage of the weather on Saturday, as you may need to spend Sunday indoors
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This weekend is expected to be warm and summer-like but that will end for many areas across France with storms on Sunday evening although temperatures will remain high. 

The steady increase in temperatures seen this week will reach its peak on Saturday, with temperatures everywhere except parts of the Normandy coastline reaching 20C or higher. 

Along parts of the Pyrénées, this will be closer to 28C, and around 30C is forecast for parts of the south-west. 

Temperatures will drop slightly in the west and north on Sunday (May 12), where they will not reach above 20C, although areas along the Rhône are still set to hit 25C. 

The south-west will wake up on Sunday to an incoming Atlantic storm before it moves east along the Pyrénées and settles near the central foothills of the mountain range. 

A separate, much larger storm will hit swathes of the north, from the English Channel to the German border, lasting well into the evening as it moves eastwards. 

Storms may also appear in the centre of the country, from the Dordogne up to Aube. 

Read more: Storms in France: what to do if at home, out walking or in car

What about next week?

Sunday’s storms are a sign of things to come next week, with significant rainfall returning to most of the country.

State weather forecaster Météo France predicts there will be rain across the entire country everyday next week, at levels much higher than average for the season. 

Temperatures will also fall, but remain only slightly below usual May levels, with many areas still set to see highs of 20C or more despite the rain. 

Some stormy weather is also predicted in the north throughout the week. 

There are currently no severe weather warnings in place for Sunday’s storms, but these may be updated over the weekend, as Météo France only provides weather warnings up to one day in advance. 

You can find all information about weather warnings over the weekend on the official Météo France website