Temperature drop and storms: French weekend weather outlook October 26-27

Storms and heavy rain will continue to batter south-east France this weekend, bringing a high risk of flooding to the area. 

Elsewhere, the weather will be mostly calm, but temperatures will drop as cold winds from the British Isles move across the country. 

Also, remember that clocks will go back on Sunday (October 27) at 03:00. 

Read more: When do the clocks change in France this month?

Friday October 25 

Rainfall in the south and south-east began last night and has continued into the morning. 

Around 10 mm per hour will fall in Gard and Ardèche and up to 15 mm per hour in coastal areas of the Var and Corsica until the afternoon.

Rainfall will pick up in the late afternoon, with up to 50 mm falling within one hour in parts of the south-east, and by the evening up to 150 mm will have hit the Cévennes mountains. 

Storms in the Mediterranean will reach mainland France late at night, bringing heavy rain to the Alpes-Maritimes department.

Stormy weather will trail up through central France from the Pyrénées mountain ranges, stopping south of Paris, but it is not expected to bring exceptional rainfall.

Three departments are facing heightened tier-three orange weather warnings for heavy rain / flash flooding – Gard, Alpes-Maritimes and Var. 

Several others are facing lower-tier warnings for rain, storms, and river flooding.

However, the intensity of these warnings is likely to increase as weather conditions develop. You can check for official updates via the website of state forecaster Météo France. 

Read more: What to do - and not do - in a red or orange weather alert in France

Saturday October 26 

Storms that began on Friday in the south-east will increase in ferocity on Saturday morning and last the entire day. 

The Alpes-Maritimes and Var departments are likely to be hardest hit, with up to 120 mm of rain falling on Saturday and 200 mm across the entire weekend.

The risk of flooding will increase in these areas, particularly along rivers. 

Rain will continue in the Cévennes and Massif Central, but to a lesser extent. 

Pockets of rain will fall elsewhere, particularly in the north and south-west, and temperatures will struggle to reach above 15C outside of the south-east, which will remain warm despite the storms. 

Sunday October 27 

Stormy weather should begin lifting in the south-east, making its way across the Mediterranean to Corsica by midday.

However, persistent rainfall is still expected in the area until Sunday night. 

There will be some rainfall along the Rhône Valley, but elsewhere skies should be cloudy but free of rain. 

Temperatures will be around 2C colder than usual for the season.

Early forecasts predict a calm start to next week, with sun and a return to slightly warmer than average temperatures but brief pockets of rain will still arrive in the south.