Weekend storm alerts: French weather outlook August 24 - 25

Storms are set to cover much of France this weekend, as a brief but intense storm splits the country in two. 

In the north, rain will be swept away by pleasant, comparatively cool weather conditions, and in the south high temperatures will remain. 

Friday August 23 

Strong winds will hit the English Channel on Friday, with gales of up to 90 km/h forecast in parts of Normandy and Hauts-de-France.

Tier-two yellow warnings are in place along coastal departments, for coastal waves and strong winds – you can see them in full on the website of state forecaster Météo France. 

Storms will hit the Pyrénées and Corsica, but elsewhere skies will remain calm into the evening. 

Heavy rain is expected in parts of Brittany on Friday night, lasting into Saturday morning, however it will not be accompanied by storms. 

Temperatures will hover around late August averages, up to 29C in Strasbourg, 32C in Lyon, and 35C in inland Provence. 

Saturday August 24 

Storms will move in from the south-west of France in the afternoon, crossing over the Pyrénées and up through the Massif Central and the centre of the country, reaching the Belgian and German border by the evening. 

The storm is set to be powerful, with dozens of warnings already in place for Saturday in south-west, central, and northern France. Hail is not though expected. 

Showers and cloudy skies are forecast in the north, where temperatures will struggle to break above 21C.

In comparison, temperatures will rise in the east and the south. 

Highs of 32C are expected in Strasbourg – climbing 3C in a 24-hour period – however the air will be humid and heavy due to stormy skies.

Temperatures will also be high along the Mediterranean, reaching up to 35C. 

Heatwave warnings will not be put in place, however, as the increase in temperature is not significant enough – both during the day and overnight – nor will it last long enough. 

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

Sunday August 25 

Storms will clear away on Sunday, however a new coastal storm will appear around the gulf of Lion and Montpellier. 

Areas that saw stormy weather on Saturday will instead face grey skies and showers, with slightly cooler than average temperatures. 

In the north and north-west, it will be cooler – around 18C in coastal Normandy – but sunny. 

Temperatures in the south will remain high, up to 30C in Corsica and around Nice and Perpignan, however it will be cooler than at the beginning of the weekend. 

Early forecasts show a sunny, calm, and warm start to the week, with the exception of the south-east, where a bout of storms will begin on Monday and last until at least Wednesday.