Highs of 40C, then storms: French weekend weather outlook July 20 - 21

Friday (July 19)

Highs of around 40C may be felt in areas of the Gard, Var, Vaucluse, or Bouches-du-Rhône departments in the south today (July 19), as areas along the Mediterranean coast and inland in the south reach at least 35C. 

Elsewhere, warmer than average temperatures will be felt with almost all areas seeing highs of at least 25C. Parts of the Loire Valley will reach 35C. 

Temperatures will rise later in the afternoon in the north and will remain high late into the day across the country – at 21:00, parts of Paris, the western coast, and Occitanie are predicted to remain at between 28C and 32C. 

This late night heat will not last long enough though for canicule warnings to be put in place.

Read more: What are the different heatwave warnings in France?

Some storms are predicted in central parts of France and the Rhône valley, with gales of 100 km/h expected, but they will die down in the evening. 

Saturday (July 20)

A powerful storm will cross the country, starting in the south-west in the morning and slowly making its way north-east. 

It will be at its most intense across central and eastern parts of France, as well as the Pyrénées and Rhône valley.

Hail is expected, as well as winds of 100 km/h, which may hit any area in the storm’s path. Up to 70 mm of rain is expected in parts of central France.

The south-east of France and areas along the German border will remain unaffected on Saturday, and continue to experience higher than usual temperatures.

Sunday (July 21)

By Sunday (July 21) the storms will mostly be situated in the far-east of the country, along the German border. 

The rest of France will face sharp temperature drops although rainfall is not expected. 

Temperatures will drop by around 10C between Saturday and Sunday in areas around Lyon and the south. In the south-west they will drop by around 8C. 

Next week

Early forecasts for the start of next week see the cooler than average temperatures remain, and the arrival of rain in the north. Later in the week, temperatures will begin to climb again, and skies should be sunny and clear. 

Currently, a handful of lower tier-two warnings are in place, for heatwaves in the south and storms in central France. 

These may change as the storms progress over the weekend. You can keep up to date with all weather alerts via the official Météo France website.