Storm and heatwave alerts: French weekend weather outlook July 26 - 28
A brief return of summer storms will hit parts of the south before temperatures climb again
Storms will make a brief return, but are unlikely to impact events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including Friday’s opening ceremony
Klymenok Olena / Shutterstock
The summer storms that have hit France almost weekly so far this year are back this weekend, although they are set to quickly disperse and be replaced by intense heat in many areas.
Friday July 26
Rain is expected in parts of the north-east and west as well as in areas across Normandy.
Skies in Paris will be cloudy, and the chances of rain during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games are reportedly around 70% to 80%, with rain from Normandy set to move inland throughout the evening.
Read more: What is now known about Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday
Elsewhere, clear skies in the south will dominate, with temperatures hovering around seasonal averages.
Later in the evening, a series of storms will begin in the north-east and along the Pyrénées.
Currently, 10 departments (and Andorra) are facing tier-two yellow alerts from state forecaster Météo France for storms.
In the south-east, heatwave warnings will begin in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and parts of Corsica.
Read more: Heatwave alert raised for south of France - how hot will it be?
The specific warnings being raised are for canicule – when nighttime temperatures remain above a certain level, preventing homes and people from cooling down.
Saturday July 27
A plethora of different weather conditions will cover France.
Stormy weather from the Pyrénées will move across the central parts of France early in the morning, before hitting the Rhône valley and up to the German and Luxembourg borders.
There are 23 departments scheduled to be on a yellow alert for storms tomorrow by Météo France although the number and level of the warnings may increase as storms progress.
Paris and the Hauts-de-France, Brittany, and Normandy regions will all experience showers and grey skies throughout.
In the south, the Mediterranean coast will see typical summer conditions, although heatwave warnings will remain in the south-east.
In the south-west and parts of the Massif Central, temperatures will be around 30C - 33C but will be accompanied by high humidity.
Sunday July 28
Storms will cross over the eastern borders early in the morning, although eastern areas will remain cloudy for much of the day.
Elsewhere, no rain is forecast, and although there may be brief moments of cloudy skies in the north, the sun should dominate.
Temperatures will be between 21C and 28C north of the Loire, and in the south, up to 35C in the south-west and inland parts of Provence.
Early predictions for next week are that temperatures will remain extremely high in the south of the country, possibly reaching 40C in the south-west on several days in a row.
More heatwave warnings are expected, however temperatures are likely to drop by Wednesday (July 31).
