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Temperatures to fall, rain arrives: French weekly weather forecast September 7 - 11
Wet weather to move in from the north on Tuesday
France will take on a more autumnal feel this week, as a surprising September heatwave quickly ends and is replaced by conditions more typical for the season.
A drop in temperatures across France will also coincide with rain and strong winds.
By the end of the week, national average temperatures will drop below seasonal norms.
Some areas will see temperatures drop by around 7C between Monday and Thursday.
Monday September 7
The start of the week, however, sees September’s heatwave remain firmly in place in the south.
Six departments remain on a heightened orange alert due to heat (canicule) in the south – Aude, Hérault, Gard, Vaucluse, Drôme and Ardèche.
These alerts are currently set to be lifted on Tuesday morning at around 06:00.
Temperatures in these departments are set to reach well over 30C, closer to 35C in the Rhône Valley, and highs of 39C are possible.
Highs of 30C are forecast across the south, with plenty of sunshine along the Mediterranean and south-west.
North of the Loire, temperatures will hover between 24C-27C, with cloudier skies.
Morning rain in the east of France should calm down by the afternoon, but the threat of storms in the south-east in the afternoon and evening persists.
Tuesday September 8
Tuesday will see the arrival of a disturbance from the UK, ushering in rain across the country.
Clouds will sweep in across the Channel early in the morning, quickly moving south and east.
Rain is forecast in eastern areas by the afternoon, and will reach Bordeaux and the Mediterranean by the evening.
Storms are possible, but exact locations and strengths are unknown. Currently, they seem most likely around Lyon and the Rhône Valley, where cooler winds will clash with muggy and humid conditions.
The arrival of the rain coincides with a temperature drop across France, save for the Rhône Valley, where highs of 35C are still forecast.
In the north, under persistent rain throughout the day, highs of around 20C are forecast, but coastal areas may remain at around 18C.
Highs of 21C across the western coast and 25C in the south-west are noticeably cooler than over the past week.
However, temperatures from Toulouse to Nice should remain around 28C-30C, above average for the season, albeit cooler than during the heatwave.
Mistral and Tramontane winds are forecast, corresponding to an increased risk of forest fires.
Wednesday September 9
Rain will persist across the Pyrénées and Alps in the early morning, before fizzling out later in the day.
Strong Mistral and Tramontane winds of up to 90km/h are expected, however.
Conditions elsewhere will be calm and sunny – cloudier in the south-east – but with temperatures noticeably chillier.
Highs of 18C-21C are forecast across the north, centre and south-west, with only the Mediterranean seeing highs above this.
Even then, temperatures are only expected to reach around 25C, rising to 27C in Nice.
Corsica may see winds of potentially 100km/h. If this is the case, expect weather warnings to be issued closer to the time.
Thursday September 10
Thursday will see similar temperatures across France, although mornings and evenings will begin to feel chillier.
Cloudy conditions are expected in the north, although the country should remain dry.
These cooler mornings and evenings will contribute to France’s national average temperature dropping to 17C, around 1.5C below typical levels for the season.
Overnight temperatures of around 8C-13C are forecast across much of the centre and north.
The south-east will see continued sunshine and above-average temperatures.
Friday September 11
A new bout of rain is forecast to sweep in from the English Channel, bringing persistent drizzle to the north.
Unlike the rain at the start of the week, it is unlikely to push south of the Loire, and will instead remain in place across Normandy, Brittany and around Paris.
In the south, sunny if cloudy conditions will persist.
Temperatures will remain largely unchanged, perhaps rising slightly in the north despite the rain.
Early forecasts for the weekend see conditions remain calm and sunny, albeit with the risk of more showers along the English Channel.
Temperatures will continue to rise slowly, but remain far from last weekend’s heatwave highs.
