Storms and temperature drop: Weather outlook September 21-22

This weekend is the first full one of autumn, bringing weather patterns that largely match this seasonal shift. 

Storms will affect much of the east and centre of the country, and temperatures will drop after a brief gasp of summer earlier in the week. 

Friday September 20 

Light storms will move in from the Atlantic this morning, affecting the entire western coast from Brittany to the Pyrénées. 

They will move eastwards throughout the day, hitting Normandy, the Loire Valley, Paris, and Limousin in central France, but not penetrate the inland south-west.

Stormy weather will remain above Brittany and Normandy for much of the day, but be sporadic in nature, with occasional rainfall. 

Temperatures will remain higher than average today before a drop at the weekend. 

Generally, temperatures will be higher than 20C everywhere except parts of the Massif Central, which are facing strong winds and scarce sunshine.

In the south-west, the ‘feels like’ temperatures (not those recorded by apparatus, but how hot it feels to people outside in the sun) will reach 30C in the south-west, due to lots of sunlight and high humidity. 

Currently, tier-two yellow weather warnings are in place for storms and high river levels.

Read more: What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings

Saturday September 21 

Storms will continue in the west of the country and rain is likely in central areas. 

Only skies in the south-east and north-east of France will be completely free of rain or clouds. 

A series of bitter sea winds will move up from the gulf of Lion in the Mediterranean into the Massif Central, which will bring rain, but storms are unlikely. 

Currently, all weather alerts remain at a tier-two level, but this may change depending on the intensity of the storms in the west. 

In the north, highs of 18C are expected, rising to 26C in parts of the south unaffected by stormy weather or Mediterranean rains. 

Read more: Storms in France: what to do if at home, out walking or in car

Sunday September 22 

Winds will continue to push in from the Mediterranean, moving towards the south-west of France, and will bring heavy rain and potentially storms to the area. 

Rain will remain across Paris and other parts of central France, but in Brittany it will be dry with clearer skies. 

In the afternoon, rainfall will increase in intensity, and storms will cover France diagonally from the south-west to the Belgian border. 

With the exception of the far-south east and Brittany, almost everywhere in France will see rain at some point on Sunday.

Lyon and areas along the German border will escape it until the evening, but be hit hard as thunderstorms move eastwards. 

Temperatures will drop by an average of 5C from Friday to Sunday, except in the south-east where they will remain mostly stable.

Weather warnings from state forecaster Météo France are only available two days in advance, so no information is available yet. 

However, if the storms are intense, heightened warnings may be put in place. 

You can keep up with all alerts via the Météo France website.