Rain returns as cold snap ends: French weekly weather outlook January 20 - 24

Cold temperatures covering France for the last week are set to come to an end after a mild weekend but incoming Atlantic winds will bring rain across the country. 

Storms at the end of the week could worsen the situation.

Monday January 20 

Conditions similar to the weekend will persist on Monday, with a chilly start and frost in the centre and north. 

However, warnings for snowy/icy road conditions are only in place in the morning in the far-south east (along mountainous roads) and in parts of central France. No warnings are currently at a heightened level.

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

By the afternoon, grey clouds in the north will turn into clear skies, and along the central belt it will be mostly sunny. 

In the south skies will remain grey for most of the day, and in the south-east and Corsica a continual risk of rain will threaten coastal areas. 

There may be showers along the Pyrénées and the western Mediterranean coast. 

Temperature highs of 1C are forecast in the far north and east but in the sunnier west temperatures may reach closer to 10C. 

The south-west will see the warmest temperatures of the day, reaching up to 15C. It will be 13C in the south-east and potentially feel cooler due to cloud coverage. 

Tuesday January 21 

Morning cloud and mist coverage will end earlier in the north than during the last week. 

Frost will only appear in the north and east of the country before also being swept away by the improving conditions.

However, the same winds pushing the clouds away in the north will cause them to appear in the south, particularly the south-east, where it will be gloomy, grey, and damp. 

Rain south of the Loire will begin in the afternoon and pick up as the evening progresses to cover much of the south.

Parts of the Mediterranean coast will receive no sunshine on Tuesday, compared to areas in central France receiving up to six hours. 

Temperatures will range from around 4C/5C in the north, up to 10C/15C in the west. It will still reach at least 10C along the Mediterranean coast despite the gloomy weather. 

Wednesday January 22 

Rain is set to hit many areas on Wednesday. 

The south will continue to be affected by rain that began on Tuesday, especially the Languedoc area which will also face strong winds. 

Areas along the English Channel and Loire and Seine rivers will face persistent showers, and in the south-west the Pyrénées foothills will see showers in the morning and afternoon before rain moves in from the Atlantic later in the evening. 

Chilly temperatures will only remain along the Belgian and German borders, which may still stay around freezing (although they could reach 5C to 8C in Lille and Strasbourg respectively). 

Elsewhere, temperatures will largely return to January averages although they will potentially be 18C in the south-west during sunny, rain-free periods. 

Thursday January 23 

Atlantic storms will push into France on Thursday, bringing rain to essentially all of the country as well as grey and murky skies.

It is still unclear how powerful the storms will be but they are not expected to be extreme. 

Temperatures will rise slightly compared to Wednesday depending on the effect of the storms. 

Snow will fall at areas of between 1,000m and 1,500m above sea level.

Friday January 24 

Conditions on Friday depend on the progression of Thursday’s storms, although meteorologists are forecasting high winds in the north, especially in Brittany and the English Channel.

They may reach up to 110 km/h in coastal areas, and 90 km/h as far inland as Paris. 

In the south, sun will return to the Mediterranean coastline for the first time in a week, with temperatures of up to 15C.