Calm but colder: French weekly weather outlook February 3 - 7
Temperatures will drop progressively over the next week or so
Morning frost is expected in many areas this week
Laurent CHEVALLIER / Shutterstock
France is set for a period of calm weather this week following successive stormy weeks in both the north and south.
Skies will alternate between sunny and cloudy, but little rain is forecast.
There will be a drop in temperatures as the week progresses.
Monday February 3
Monday will be a grey day for most, with low, strong cloud coverage in the north and centre of the country.
In the south-west it will also be cloudy for most of the day.
Elsewhere, sunshine will break through with the south-east being generally the sunniest area.
Southerly winds such as the Mistral will be slightly stronger than usual.
Monday will see temperatures similar to those of the weekend, with highs of 15C along the Mediterranean (17C in Nice) and between 5C and 9C in most of the north and centre.
Near the German border it may struggle to reach above 5C.
Morning frosts will cover many roads in the north, centre, and east, as well as those at higher altitudes.
Drivers should be prudent, however as of now there are no heightened alerts in place for snowy/icy conditions.
Read more: 4 tips to stay safe and check icy roads in real-time in France
Tuesday February 4
Similar conditions are expected on Tuesday, although it will be sunnier in the south and mountainous areas.
Cloud coverage in the north may be pushed away earlier than on Monday, but fog could persist in parts of Normandy.
A peak in pollution (in the form of fine particles) is expected and particularly affected the area around Paris and the east.
Chilly morning temperatures of around 0C in the north will be replaced by highs of between 5C and 10C.
Tuesday will be the least cool day of the week, with a national average temperature of 5C.
This is still around 0.5C cooler than the usual early February average.
Wednesday February 5
Wednesday will be the cloudiest day of the week as a bout of high-pressure air passes from the English Channel to the south-west.
Despite some menacing-looking clouds, only a few showers are forecast, and rain will not be significant.
Central France will remain cloudy, southern France sunny and warmer, and eastern France the chilliest. The Pyrénées will also benefit from sunshine and clear skies.
Thursday February 6
Stronger breezes in the north will see morning clouds and mist clear quicker, leading to a sunny day in areas such as Normandy and Brittany. The trade-off however is that these winds will bring cooler temperatures.
Clouds will still be present across central France, but will begin pushing into the south.
Sunny skies will persist in the mountainous areas and the south-east.
Friday February 7
The high-pressure air causing cloudy conditions from Wednesday onwards will retreat back towards the British Isles, allowing for a cool blast of air from Germany to cover France.
Fewer clouds in the sky will be counteracted by a risk of rain in parts of the south-east and Corsica.
A risk of snow in the east around Lyon is possible including at lower altitudes, although this will only occur if the incoming weather pattern is intense enough.
In addition, this weather pattern will see temperatures drop – the average national temperature is forecast to be 3.3C.
Temperatures will continue to drop into the weekend and start of next week, reaching a low-point on Tuesday when the average national temperature will be 2.4C, over 3C lower than the average.
