Weekend of storms: French weather forecast June 14 - 15

A stormy weekend is forecast across much of France with temperatures set to drop - a fall of up to 10°C is expected in the south-west between Friday and Sunday.

Storms will cover almost all of the country with only the Mediterranean coast set to be spared as sunny weather and stable temperatures continue there throughout.

Friday June 13 

Friday sees the peak of the current period of hot weather across France, with highs of 36C possible in Auxerre and the Champagne area, and 25C in Lyon and near the German border. 

Around 80% of the country will see afternoon temperatures of between 5C and 10C higher than usual for the season, particularly in the centre and north. 

Four departments in central France are facing tier-two yellow warnings for canicule (heatwave).

However, two powerful storm systems are set to sweep in, covering large parts of France.

The first, beginning in the late afternoon, will enter Normandy and move across the north of France, hitting Paris at around 21:00, bringing winds of up to 100 km/h.

A second powerful storm will hit the south-west in the evening.

Both storms are set to bring hail to the affected departments, as well as rapid heavy rainfall.

Currently, 28 departments are facing heightened tier-three orange alerts from state forecaster Météo France over the storms, but this is subject to change throughout the day. 

Keep up to date with local warnings through the Météo France website or local changes.

Saturday June 14 

High temperatures will continue into Saturday as will storms but in central areas neither with the same strength as on Friday. 

Temperatures will remain around 5C above average in several areas, but only Lyon and the Rhône Valley will see temperatures comparable to the day before. 

A humid and muggy atmosphere will come with the heat, ripening conditions for storms throughout the day. 

In the north, high intensity storms will continue to batter areas close to Belgium and the capital.

Storms will stretch from the Pyrénées to the German border, as well as hitting areas of the north around Lille and the English Channel throughout the day. 

Only the Mediterranean coastline is expected to be unaffected with temperatures remaining at around 30C. 

Sunday June 15 

Forecasts are less clear as to whether the central storms will continue into Father’s Day but if they do they will again stretch between the Pyrénées and the German border. 

In the north storms will clear for good, bringing fresh and crisp air. 

Temperatures are set to drop across most areas. 

National average temperatures will be slightly higher than usual – in part due to summery weather across the Mediterranean – but the drop will be significant in several areas compared to the start of the weekend. 

In the south-west, highs of 23C on Sunday are forecast, around 10C lower than those expected on Friday.

Areas in central and eastern France including Lyon will also see maximum temperatures drop 10C over the course of 48 hours.