New Year brings storms and snow: French weather outlook December 30 - January 3

France will usher in the new year alongside a series of storms, spanning from the English Channel to the Mediterranean coast. 

In some areas, gales of 130 km/h are forecast for the first day of 2025. 

Monday December 30 

Conditions remain calm at the beginning of the week, albeit grey and cloudy over much of the country and particularly in the north. 

Morning showers are expected in Normandy, but the rest of France will remain dry. There may be some mist in the south, and fog in parts of the north and centre. 

Read more: Driving through fog in France: rules and penalties for infractions

Temperatures will be around the same as the previous few days – chilly in the north with highs of between 5C and 7C, rising to double digits in the south. Nice may reach up to 15C. 

Tuesday December 31 

Conditions will be mostly similar for New Year’s Eve, although in parts of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region fog and mist will come alongside freezing conditions that may drop to -5C.

Towards the evening, strong winds and rain will begin to cross the country from the English Channel into the north. 

Elsewhere no rain is forecast, meaning New Year’s celebrations should not be wet. However temperatures will be chilly at midnight – if not freezing in most areas – so anyone planning to celebrate outside should wrap up.

Wednesday January 1 

Strong winds beginning in the north last night will continue into January 1, particularly along the English Channel and Breton coast. 

Gales may reach up to 130 km/h along the shoreline, and up to 90km/h as far inland as Paris.

The UK Met Office (official weather forecaster) has already put warnings in place for weather conditions in the British Isles over the disturbance set to move southwards towards France. 

The winds will not be accompanied by rain and should die down overnight. 

At the same time, however, a new disturbance will move into France from the north and Brittany late on Wednesday night, bringing heavy rainfall immediately after the winds.

In the south, conditions will remain the same as at the beginning of the week, although in Bordeaux and Lyon temperatures are not expected to reach above 10C. 

Highs of 15C are forecast in Nice and Biarritz to usher in the start of 2025. 

Thursday January 2 

Rain will continue throughout the day, particularly in the north but also pushing towards the centre. 

Snow – previously appearing at altitudes of 1,600m above sea level in areas where rain was forecast – could fall as low as 500m above sea level, particularly in the east and the Vosges and Jura mountain ranges. 

Areas in north and east France may see ‘snow showers’, brief episodes of snow during rainfall, although this will not settle as at higher altitudes. 

The south will be unaffected by rain, although a series of storms deep in the Mediterranean sea will bring cloudy weather to the coast. 

Friday January 3 

The south will continue to see calm but cloudy weather, however in the north disturbances remain. 

Rain will fall across the northern half of the country, with snow at 500m - 1,000m above sea level. In the Massif Central mountains, snow is forecast at areas of 1,200m above sea level. 

There is a low change of snow across the northern half of France, but it is almost certain in the Alps.

At lower altitudes, rainfall may turn into sleet in Normandy and along the Seine river, and sporadic snowfall may still affect the north and east.