Grey skies and plenty of rain: French weekend weather outlook January 25 - 26

The majority of France will see a grey and damp weekend, following two relatively dry and calm ones. Strong winds are forecast along the west coast each day.

Temperatures will remain similar to the latter half of this week, and will not be significantly warmer or cooler than late January averages, although wet and windy conditions will make it seem colder for those spending much of their day outside.

Friday January 24 

The powerful Storm Eowyn will clip northern France as it passes through the British Isles on Friday.

The brunt of the damage will hit Ireland, Scotland, and northern England, however the storm will affect the English Channel. 

Coastal areas of the Normandy, Brittany, and the Hauts-de-France regions will see gales of up to 100 km/h, and winds may reach up to 80km/h inland. 

Heavy rainfall is expected alongside the storm, particularly in Brittany. 

The Morbihan department is scheduled to face level-three orange warnings – the second-highest – for heavy rain and flash flooding from 18:00 onwards, with other departments in the north facing less severe tier-two yellow warnings for rain, winds, and stormy weather.

Other departments may see warning levels increase in severity as the day goes on and conditions progress.

You can keep up to date with official warnings through state forecaster Météo France. 

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

Elsewhere, the day will be cloudy, including along the Mediterranean coast and in the south-west. 

Temperatures in the north will be around 8C - 10C – but feel considerably cooler in the wind – and in the south between 11C and 17C. 

In the Pyrénées foothills they may reach 20C when the sun breaks through the clouds although this will only be fleeting and temperatures will be cooler the majority of the time.

Saturday January 25 

Storm Eowyn will move across the North Sea into Scandinavia and should not affect France over the weekend.

However, conditions in the north-west will remain similar on Saturday as they were on Friday, with rainfall, winds (albeit less powerful) and grey skies opening the day. 

This will move southwards to cover most of northern and central France throughout the day. 

At the same time, Atlantic showers will hit the south-west and western coast, and Mediterranean showers will hit the south, moving into the Cévennes area.

Stormy conditions will hit the south-west late at night, bringing a flash of heavy rain, although it should clear by Sunday morning.

Skies will be grey across all of these areas, with only splashes of sunlight in the south-east and north-west later in the day when disturbances have moved away. 

Temperatures will remain similar to Friday, but feel cooler because of the damp conditions. 

Sunday January 26 

The north-west will face the worst of the weather on Sunday, with a new bout of storms hitting Brittany. 

The storms will bring rain and gales up to 110 km/h to the coast – more powerful than those forecast on Friday from Storm Eowyn. 

The rain will move inland to the rest of north and central France throughout the day, much as it did on Friday, however the southern coast should remain free of rain, and conditions will be best in the south-east. 

A brief dusting of snow may fall in the centre of France on Saturday night/Sunday morning due to chilly overnight temperatures, but will not settle.

In the eastern mountain ranges, rain may turn to snow at altitudes of 800m, with the area expecting to see rain for much of the day. 

Rainy conditions will continue into the beginning of next week.