Storms to return to much of France bringing heavy rain and hail

A new batch of storms are set to hit France this weekend, bringing heavy rainfall and the risk of hail to much of the south.

Storms will begin in the south-west of France on Thursday morning (June 6), before making their way eastwards towards the Rhône valley. 

In the Massif Central and Jura mountain ranges, they come with a high chance of hail, particularly on Thursday evening and throughout Friday (June 7).

Friday will see similar conditions, with stormy weather in the south-west and east of the country, albeit with stronger rainfall near the Atlantic coast.

The start of the weekend will see much of the south facing storms and particularly the south-west. 

South of the Garonne river, more than 80mm of rain is expected to fall between Thursday and Sunday (June 9).

Temperatures, however, will only be affected towards the end of the weekend.

On Saturday, temperatures in the south-west may still reach 30C but on Sunday they will struggle to reach above 20C. 

Similar drops of around 10C are expected near Lyon and Marseille, as cold winds prevail along with the storms.

Temperatures in the north will remain close to early June averages, unaffected by weather conditions.

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

How bad will the storms be - should we expect damage?

The storms are being caused by a collision of cold air blowing from the north, and warm air blowing from the Mediterranean.

This warm Mediterranean air is keeping the southern coastline of France particularly warm, however on Sunday heavy storms are expected in the south-east. 

These will be intense but short-lived storms, as by Monday (June 10) they will likely have moved eastwards towards Italy.

Rain is forecast for the rest of the south – and much of the north – on Monday, but the risk of storms are greatly diminished.

Weather channel La Chaîne Météo (owned by Le Figaro) is warning that hailstorms may destroy vineyards in the Jura, and Massif Central, particularly this year’s crop of Beaujolais. 

Hailstorms earlier this year destroyed many vineyards in the Côte-d’Or department. 

Read more: Crops and vines decimated by April frosts in France

Currently there are no heightened weather warnings – although there are numerous lower-tier warnings for storms and high river levels – but this is subject to change. 

You can keep up to date with official weather warnings on the Météo France website.