French weekend weather outlook December 7 - 8: snow arrives and temperatures plummet

Wintry conditions are expected across France this weekend as snow is set to arrive at altitudes of 500m, and persistent rain falls elsewhere.

Bitter polar winds will make outside activities feel cold on Sunday, with temperatures ‘feeling’ lower than they are due to the gales, particularly in the north. The cold weather will persist into next week. 

Read more: Ice and snow set to hit France in the coming days

Friday December 6 

Friday will see clouds cover most of France, moving in from the Atlantic and settling in the centre and east. 

Rainfall will be present early morning in the south before clearing in the early afternoon.

A new batch of rain will hit Normandy and Brittany later in the day moving eastwards along with the grey skies. 

Morning temperatures will be slightly warmer than average but may begin to drop during the afternoon as the first polar winds arrive in the north and east. 

In these areas, highs will struggle to break 10C, however in the south-west highs of 15C may remain late into the evening. 

Saturday December 7 

Temperatures will continue to be mild on Saturday morning in the lower half of the country, but winds will dominate the northern half, dropping temperatures to slightly below December averages.

Single digit temperatures are likely everywhere except the Mediterranean coast and south-west. 

Gales of up to 100 km/h are expected along the English Channel, and winds may reach up to 80 km/h inland.

Rainfall will begin in the morning in the north, progressively increasing in intensity as it moves south before covering all of the country barring the Mediterranean coast. 

Storms may hit the far south-west at night, but are not forecast elsewhere.

Snow is forecast to fall at higher altitudes in the evening.

Sunday December 8

Sunday will see wintry conditions increase, with sleet forecast across much of France and icy roads expected. 

Read more: 4 tips to stay safe and check icy roads in real-time in France

Snow will fall at areas as low as 500m above sea level in many areas and at almost all locations 900m and above. 

Temperatures will stay close to freezing in the east (with highs of 3C), and only the Mediterranean will see highs of 10C – everywhere temperatures will be in single digits.

However, temperatures will feel significantly colder for most due to the wind-chill factor, and it will not ‘feel’ warmer than 0C in most of France this weekend, including in the afternoon. 

Snowfall will continue into the start of next week as temperatures remain significantly below December averages.