Week of heavy rain ahead for France before a big temperature drop
Several areas in the south-west are facing heightened alerts. Rains could last until Friday when frosty winds bring weekend ‘cold snap’
Rains are set to last until Friday across multiple areas
ungvar / Shutterstock
France is gearing up for a barrage of rain, with forecasts predicting wet weather for nearly the entire week.
Starting from today (December 11), patches of heavy rain will hit, particularly in the centre, south-west, and east of the country.
Seven departments have been placed on a tier-three orange warning for either heavy rain/flash flooding – Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isère – or high river levels: Deux-Sèvres, Corrèze, Dordogne, Gironde.
Savoie and Haute-Savoie are facing heightened warnings for both phenomena.
Later in the week rain will arrive in the north, moving inland from the Channel, continuing until Friday when a high-pressure burst of air moves in from the British Isles.
This wind will bring temperatures down to below average and could bring sleet to the north and snow to the east.
A mini ‘cold snap’ will be more prominent due to the warmer than average current temperatures.
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The national average temperature on Monday is predicted to be 12.4C – double the monthly average of 6C – whilst on Saturday it is forecast to be 4.1C.
It is predicted to stay below 6C until at least December 21, and potentially through the entire holiday season.
Extended rainfall across central belt
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Rain is forecast to last throughout the day in many areas, including the Loire valley, the Alps, the east (Jura/Alsace), the north of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and in Bourgogne.
It will be heaviest in the east, where the three mountainous departments are facing flash flooding alerts.
The photo below from Ventusky shows the level of rain in the south this morning at 10:00.
In the area around Dordogne and Corrèze, rains will be heaviest in the morning, before subsiding in the afternoon.
However, they will not stop completely, leading to the warnings of high river levels. You can see which rivers are affected using the official Vigicrues website.
Elsewhere in France, more than 50 departments are facing tier-two yellow warnings, either for heavy rain, strong winds, river flooding, strong coastal waves or for potential avalanches.
You can keep up to date with the warnings through the Météo France website.
These warnings are likely to be updated throughout the day, and more departments could be put on heightened alert if rains stay at a strong level.
Rain to last most of week
The intensity of rainfall is expected to decrease on Tuesday, however rains will not stop completely, with most of the areas facing rains today continuing to do so tomorrow (December 12).
This will be the case for much of the week – especially in the north, untouched by heavy rainfall at the beginning of the week, but potentially facing poor conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday (December 13).
Thursday (December 14) will see temperatures begin to drop to slightly below average across parts of the country, and rains will stop north of the Loire due to the arrival of high-pressure winds from the British Isles.
Snow will also begin falling again on Thursday in higher altitude mountain areas.
This wind will hit almost all of the country by Friday (December 15), stopping all rainfall but potentially bringing snow at levels of 600m in the east.
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