French weekend weather forecast July 4 - 6: storms sweep south as heatwave ends

A temperature drop across France will coincide with rain in the north and storms in the south, bringing relief to the country after an extended and ‘historic’ heatwave. 

The respite will be short-lived however, as forecasters predict a new heatwave could begin from next week and remain across the country for up to a week. 

Friday July 4 

Heatwave warnings remain in place in the south-east and along the Mediterranean coast, with 14 departments on a heightened tier-three orange alert. 

Temperatures may reach close to 40C in these areas, particularly along the Rhône Valley. 

Overnight temperatures of above 25C are expected in the south, prolonging the heatwave conditions for another day.

Elsewhere, highs of 35C are expected in the south-west, 30C in Nantes, but in most of the north it will remain between 25C and 28C. 

Clear skies are expected, and may bring up to 13 hours of sunshine to parts of Brittany, and at least 11 hours to other areas. No rain is forecast.

Saturday July 5

The south-east will continue to face heatwave alerts, and it could reach 39C in the departments facing warnings, but elsewhere more stable temperatures are expected.

It will reach around 32C around Bordeaux and Toulouse, and no higher than 30C in the north. 

Along the English Channel it will remain closer to 25C with cooler winds bringing a small risk of rain. 

Sunday July 6 

A drastic shift in conditions is expected on Sunday, as cool Atlantic winds push into France. 

In the north, this will lead to rain and drizzle, as humid air covers diagonally from Nantes to Lille. Areas along the English Channel will likely miss the rain. 

Further inland, there is a slight risk of rain, but the south-west and north-east are expected to be dry with conditions remaining calm in these areas.

The clash of the cooler ocean air and the heavy, thick and warm air in skies across the south-east is likely to cause powerful storms between the Pyrénées and the Alps, and bring rain to the area. 

The incoming winds will drop temperatures across the board – highs of 18C in Brittany, 23C in Paris and 25C in the south-west will be the lowest in several days.

The storms in the south-east will clear the air, and even though temperatures may still reach up to 35C locally, heatwave warnings are expected to be lifted as temperatures drop.

Crucially, the removal of the thick and humid atmosphere in the south-east will drop evening temperatures, allowing some freshness to return. 

A cooler start to next week will be short-lived, as temperatures are set to climb from Wednesday (July 9) leading to a new heatwave. 

Temperatures of 40C are expected, although some weather models are forecasting highs of 43C across France.