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Storms and rain in the south-west of France set the tone for a weekend of varied weather conditions and temperatures. 

Widespread rain on Friday will mostly disappear for the start of the weekend and then return on Sunday.

Forecasters are not yet certain how widespread Sunday’s storms will be, and they could stretch across much of the country or stay concentrated in the Pyrénées.

Friday August 29 

Friday will see essentially all of the country hit by rain and storms.

Every department bar two (Var and Alpes-Maritimes) are facing alerts as sporadic storms and showers are set to hit all regions throughout the day. 

Departments in the south-east are facing warnings for heavy rain/flash flooding, strong winds, and coastal waves with the storms set to be strongest here.

All warnings from state forecaster Météo France are at a tier-two level, but may increase in severity as the day progresses.

Up to 50mm of rain may fall around Bordeaux and in the Gironde department, with winds of up to 100 km/h along the coast (more generally 50km/h to 70km/h inland).

At the same time, storms may appear in the north, east, and west of the country, as well as potentially clip the Mediterranean coast excluding the Riviera.

Temperatures will hover around 20C across the country, rising to 24C along the Mediterranean and up to 28C in Nice. 

Saturday August 30 

Saturday will see respite from stormy and wet weather for most areas.

Rain will be limited to Brittany and the English Channel – where winds of up to 80km/h are expected – although clouds will cover much of the north. 

The south (generally below Bordeaux and Lyon) will see calm, sunny conditions. 

However, temperatures will still most likely be below average for the last weekend of August, below 20C in much of the north and only reaching 25C in the south (it may be slightly warmer along the Mediterranean coastline but this will not impact national averages). 

Sunday August 31 

Storms return to the south-west, particularly around the Pyrénées. 

Forecasters believe the storms will be heaviest in the evening bringing lightning and rain to the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions - but it is advised to keep up with local reports closer to the time. 

The stormy weather may stretch north-east, across the Massif Central and into the German border area, but predictions are not yet clear on this.

The south-east is the only area guaranteed to be free of storms, retaining the previous day’s sunshine, although it is possible that calm conditions will also prevail in the north.

In short, keeping informed as the weekend progresses is key.