France braces for a chilly end to 2025

A wintry end to the year is forecast, as temperatures remain below average in most areas of France. 

Powerful anticyclone winds from the British Isles will cover France until Thursday, bringing cold but dry weather. 

This will be replaced by polar winds on Friday – slightly less cool but also bringing precipitation and potentially snow to parts of the east.

National average temperatures are set to hover around 0.2C on January 1. 

Monday December 29 

The week begins calmly but on a cool note despite morning sunshine in most regions except the east and north-west.

Morning temperatures in their minuses will be common in the northern half of France, where frost is also widespread. 

In the east it is expected to be foggy until the afternoon, and although no heightened weather alerts are in place drivers should be cautious.

Highs of around 14C in the south-east and 12C along the rest of the Mediterranean are an anomaly, as elsewhere they hover between 2C and 4C in the north (although up to 7C in Brittany and coastal Normandy), and only around 9C in Bordeaux and the south-west. 

In parts of the east, as well as Lyon and the Rhône area, temperatures will remain at 0C or below throughout the day. 

Tuesday December 30 

The anticyclone winds remain in place but will start to weaken, leading to cloudier skies in the north and south-west. 

It will remain dry across most areas, except the Norman coast which will be clipped by rainfall from the English Channel and parts of the east along the German border. 

A risk of freezing rain (pluie verglaçante) is present in the morning around the east, with morning temperatures at around -3C. The showers will stop by midday however. 

Highs of around 4C across the north are slightly warmer than Monday, but in the south-west a cooler day is forecast, with highs of around 5C in Bordeaux. 

The rest of the south sees maximums of 8C to 10C, up to 14C near Nice. 

Wednesday December 31 

Dry and cool conditions return and skies will be mostly sunny. 

Highs of around 4C - 5C are expected across most of the country, with the north seeing temperatures remain constant but the south seeing them drop by around 2C to 3C. 

In Nice and Marseille, highs of 11C are expected but these are outliers – nearby Montpellier may reach only around 5C. 

For those heading out to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the advice is to wrap up warm. It is set to be the coldest New Year’s Eve since 2016, and freezing fog is expected. 

Temperatures will be considerably below zero at midnight in all areas but the Mediterranean and parts of the coastal south-west and in rural areas may be closer to -10C. 

Thursday January 1 

The New Year will begin cold and foggy, and remain cloudy throughout. 

The thick grey clouds of the morning, present in the north and west, will clear to be replaced by white and wispy clouds across the country. 

Highs of around 4C in the north, but only 1C in many central and eastern regions, are expected, rising to 11C in the south-west and south-east.

These maximums will be short-lived however and for much of the day temperatures will be very cold. 

January 1 is forecast to be the coolest day of the current period, with a national average temperature of 0.2C, around 5C cooler than average for the start of the year. 

Friday January 2 

The arrival of the polar winds will push out the anticyclone winds above France, replacing dry conditions with humidity and rain.

In the north and east, rain is expected throughout the day, and this may turn to snow including in low-lying areas. Forecasters will be more confident in predictions of snowfall closer to the end of the week, so it is advised to check the weather again in the days to come.

Snow is guaranteed across the mountain ranges, however, including the Vosges and Jura. 

Temperatures will remain cool but rise slightly, as the polar winds are less bitter than the British anticyclone. 

Highs of 3C to 4C are complemented with temperatures of around 10C in parts of the south, rising to 13C along the Mediterranean and up to 17C in the Pays Basque. 

However, strong Mistral and Tramontane winds are set to bring a chill to the Mediterranean.