Storm and gales to batter south of France: Weekend weather outlook March 8 - 9
Heavy rainfall is expected in the Pyrénées and Massif Central
The south-east will be hardest hit, with thunderstorms possible in the area
Imanol Zuaznabar Garcia/Shutterstock
A relatively peaceful week of weather is set to be swept away by cloud, rain – and in the south, storms – this weekend.
An épisode cévenol is forecast for the Massif Central, and heavy rain is expected in the southern mountain ranges.
Conditions may lead to heightened weather alerts in the most affected areas.
Friday March 7
Conditions will remain mostly similar to the rest of the week – dry and mild, with chilly morning temperatures in the north.
However, cloud coverage across the Mediterranean coast and Brittany will severely limit sunshine in these areas.
Marseille may see no sunshine at all today and most parts of Brittany only an hour or two.
The south-west will see winds of up to 100 km/h, moving in from the Mediterranean and reaching near to Toulouse.
Conditions will remain dry throughout the day, and temperatures will hover between 13C and 20C.
Unusually, temperatures will be warmer in the north than the Mediterranean due to the cloud coverage, although the south-west is likely to see the warmest temperatures overall.
Saturday March 8
Storms will affect the south from early in the morning, moving west to east.
By the time they reach the south-east, they may deteriorate into thunderstorms.
Rainfall will be heaviest in the eastern Pyrénées (up to 130mm may fall overall during the weekend) and Massif Central (up to 200mm).
Gale-force winds of around 100 km/h may be present across the south during the stormy weather.
The Atlantic coast and Brittany will also see cloudy conditions, if not full storm patterns.
The north and east of France however will continue to see calm, sunny conditions.
Temperatures across France will be between 17C and 20C, although areas of the south facing the worst of the rain will see temperatures close to 14C.
State forecaster Météo France has not as yet put in place heightened weather alerts. These are subject to change depending on how the storm progresses.
You can find up to date information on weather alerts through the Météo France website.
Read more: What to do - and not do - in a red or orange weather alert in France
Sunday March 9
Saturday’s storms will continue into Sunday, concentrating on the south-east and Corsica – potentially evolving into thunderstorms – and bring gale-force wind to the area.
Rain and clouds will also appear in the rest of the south, west, and parts of the north – reaching Paris and Rouen by the late afternoon.
Only the north-east and German border areas will remain unaffected by rain.
Temperatures will drop by between 3C and 5C compared to Saturday as a result.
It sets the tone for the following week with rain expected almost everywhere and several days of consecutive heavy rain forecast for the south-east.
