Temperature drop and rain: French weekly weather outlook April 14 - 18
Storms expected in south-west and heavy rain from Tuesday in the south-east
All regions are set to have rain this week with the south-east most affected
Aleksei Ignatov / Shutterstock
The calm weather experienced at the start of April is definitively over in France as this week sees temperatures fluctuate significantly alongside rainfall in much of the country.
Storms are likely, particularly at the start of the week, and snow is forecast midweek in the east and south.
Monday April 14
A cloudy start to the week is forecast for most with afternoon storms expected in the south-west and central areas.
Some rain is expected along the Mediterranean coast and in Brittany, although it will not be as heavy as in the south-west.
Temperatures will remain at levels seen over the weekend – around 20C in the south-west, and 15C - 17C elsewhere – despite the conditions.
No heightened weather alerts are currently in place from state forecaster Météo France.
Tuesday April 15
Monday’s storms will move south and east overnight, and by Tuesday daytime heavy rain is expected across the south-east.
Rainfall will be strongest in the Cévennes mountains – over 100mm is forecast in less than 24 hours – alongside around 75mm around Nice and along the French Riviera.
Elsewhere, rain is likely in Brittany and the western coast, as well as central and eastern France.
Storms may appear along the German border, and Normandy will face gales of up to 100km/h.
In terms of temperatures some areas will see drops of nearly 10C compared to the weekend.
Highs of around 10C are likely in coastal Brittany and 13C in Biarritz.
The north, centre and east will be less-affected, although it will be slightly cooler than on Monday due to the rain.
Wednesday April 16
Rain will continue to fall in the south-east, increasing in intensity as the day progresses.
There will be showers in the south-west and north/north-east.
At the same time, the sun will return to the western coast and in Brittany, although further inland it will remain cloudy but with little risk of rain.
Temperatures will remain stable in the south and west but will drop significantly in the north and east.
Parts of the east will remain in single digits throughout the day, and many others fail to reach above 12C.
Snow is forecast in the Alps and Pyrénées at altitudes of 1,200m and above. Lower than this, rain is likely.
Thursday April 17
Rain will continue in the east throughout the day, although it is expected to be less intense.
Generally, the west of France will see an improvement, with wispy clouds but little threat of rain.
The north and east will have frost early in the morning, but this will clear as the day progresses.
Temperatures will increase slightly from the day before, although they remain largely the same and still around 2C below national averages for mid-April.
Again, parts of the east will fail to make it past 10C, but most of France will see highs of between 13C and 16C.
Friday April 18
Conditions will once again switch on Friday – rain will clear everywhere but in Brittany and the German border, which are set to see lengthy drizzle.
Skies will be generally sunny, particularly in the south, as southerly winds blow clouds away.
Temperatures will increase, bringing average temperatures back up above the national average.
Highs of 20C are likely in the south-west and along the Mediterranean, but also surprisingly in parts of northern France – even where rainfall is possible.
Elsewhere, almost all areas will see highs of 15C except parts of the German border, where a chilly 10C is more likely.
This warm period will continue into the weekend before temperatures once again drop on Sunday.
