Dry but colder: French weekend weather outlook January 11 - 12

The unstable weather conditions that have dominated France in the last few days will come to an end this weekend. 

However, the polar winds that have been hanging over the north will sweep through most of the country, causing temperatures to drop.

Friday January 10 

The north and east will see more snowfall this morning, covering an area stretching from Brittany/Normandy to the German border. 

This snowfall will not be as strong as in the preceding days, however, and will only fall at areas of 250m above sea level. 

It is forecast to stop at around 10:00 in most areas but may last until early afternoon in the east. Only a few cm will fall.

The heightened tier-three orange warnings for snowy and icy road conditions in the north, in place in Pas-de-Calais, Somme, and Nord, is set to lower in level at 10:00 when the snow is forecast to end. 

At least two people died as a result of the recent weather conditions on Wednesday night.

Read more: Two dead as snow wreaks havoc in northern France

Heightened warnings for river flooding will remain in place in a further six departments: 

Oise

Val-d’Oise

Ille-et-Vilaine

Seine-Maritime

Eure

Calvados

These warnings are set to remain in place until at least Saturday (January 11). 

You can find out more information about river flooding warnings on the official Vigicrues website, or other official warnings via state forecaster Météo France. 

Rainfall is expected in the centre of France this afternoon but will not coincide with snowfall in the area. 

Conditions will be calm in the south, with higher than average temperatures, reading up to 19C in Perpignan. 

Saturday January 11 

Showers will appear over the southern half of France on Saturday morning, from the Pyrénées up to Lyon.

Snow may fall at altitudes of 700 m and above in limited quantities. 

The south-east and Mediterranean coasts will be grey and cloudy but free of rain, however there may also be storms in Corsica. 

The north will remain dry with chilly morning temperatures of -4C are forecast and only reach highs of 2C expected as the day progresses. 

These chilly conditions will generally persist in the centre, north, and east of France – Brittany will be an exception and see highs of around 9C.

In the south, highs of 14C along the Mediterranean are forecast despite the cloudy conditions.

Sunday January 12 

Polar winds will be reinforced by cool winds moving south from the British Isles, which will cover most of France bar the far south. 

They will cause temperatures to further drop in the north, with lows of -5C, and in some areas of the far north and east remain below 0C throughout the day.

In the rest of France, temperatures will drop by around 2C compared to on Saturday.

Highs of 6C in Bordeaux and Toulouse are forecast.

In the south along the paths of the Mistral and Tramontane winds, strong gales will cause it to feel chilly even if temperatures are mild.

Only the far south-east will remain unaffected by the cold spell, with highs of 14C in Nice. 

However, the new winds will clear rain from French skies, and in most places it will be cold but sunny (a few blotches of grey sky will remain in the north). 

These chilly but sunny conditions will continue into the start of next week.