Rain, wind, snow, sun: French weekend weather outlook March 29 - 30

A wet and windy weekend is forecast for many across France, although there should also be frequent spells of sunshine. 

Gales of over 100 km/h are expected in the south-east, and small amounts of snow in France’s mountainous landscapes are likely at the start of the weekend. 

Friday March 28 

Rain will sweep in from the north-west, covering Brittany and Normandy before moving inland throughout the day. 

It will reach as far east as Reims, and as far south as Bordeaux and Toulouse, but in the latter cities only brief showers are forecast.

Elsewhere, skies will be mostly sunny, with temperatures up to 20C in the south along the Mediterranean. In the north, temperatures are more likely to be between 13C and 15C. 

Saturday March 29 

Saturday will see attention shift to the east, with rain along the German and Swiss borders. 

Snowfall will start at 1,000m in parts of the Alps and Vosges/Jura mountains, and 1,200m in the Pyrénées, with rain at lower levels.

The north will see a sunny morning, however cloud coverage is expected over the majority of the country from midday onwards. 

This may affect conditions for viewing this Saturday’s partial solar eclipse.

The Mediterranean coast and south-east will be hit by strong gales, reaching over 100 km/h in several locations and up to 114 km/h inland. 

Thunderstorms are also likely in Corsica, potentially reaching the Riviera, but unlikely to cause sustained perturbations. 

Temperatures will be lower than the previous week in most areas, with highs across the north, centre, and south-west only reaching 13C/14C. 

In the south-east, thermometers may reach up to 18C, but actual conditions will feel cooler due to the wind. 

Some areas of the Massif Central mountain range will struggle to reach 10C or above on Saturday. 

Do not forget, clocks go forward one hour on Saturday night / Sunday morning, causing people in France to lose one hour of sleep but gain an hour of sunlight in the evenings.

Sunday March 30

Conditions will mostly improve on Sunday. 

Dark clouds only forecast in a belt from the south-west to the east, crossing through the Massif Central, although most of the north and south will see wispy clouds throughout the day. 

Brief showers along the northern coast are possible, but not expected to move inland, and aside from this conditions should remain dry. 

Strong winds will persist in the south-east, again reaching over 100 km/h. 

Temperatures will remain lower than seasonal averages, reaching between 12C and 14C everywhere except the Mediterranean coast, where highs of 18C/19C are more likely. 

The start of next week should see temperatures rise, as a period of warm, calm, sunny weather covers all of France until at least Wednesday, and possibly longer.