Cold, rain, snow… Winter weather will hit the country again this week

Restless weather announced for this new week. The cold will return in the second half of January, with rain, snow and wind.

After a very mild start to the year, winter is coming back. Temperatures started dropping this weekend and this trend will continue next week in most of the country, according to Météo France, which forecasts cold weather, rain but also snow in some places.

If this Sunday marks a return to normal seasons, Météo France shows that freshness will only increase in the coming week and is likely to stay. But this week will also be marked by very turbulent weather, due to the depression crossing called Gérard arriving from the northwest on Sunday evening.

The northwestern quarter is in orange vigil

24 departments in the West have also been placed on orange alert for the risk of “high winds”, but also “snow and ice” for Monday. This choppy weather is expected to continue at least through the middle of the week.

Therefore, significant winds are expected during the night from Sunday to Monday, especially on the Atlantic coast, as well as low-altitude snow. These snowflakes will fall first in the Northeast on Monday, while the weather will be rainy at the foot of the Pyrenees, and over most of the country by noon on Monday. That trend is likely to persist, even if clearings may appear on the shores of the Mediterranean in the afternoon, as well as along the coast of the Straits. As for mercury, it will fluctuate between 5 and 7°C in the north, and 7 and 12°C in the south.

Météo France also expects a “deepening of the depression” in the Bay of Biscay on Tuesday, which could cause gale force winds on the west facade. This depression can bring significant new rainfall as well as low-altitude snowfall in the center of the country, particularly in the Paris region, or even in the Alps.

The temperature will continue to fall on Tuesday, as it is expected to be 2 to 3°C in the North, as in Lille or Belfort. Only the Mediterranean coast and the Lyon region will still experience a bit of softness, with temperatures around 8-10°C.

Cold and snow are expected Wednesday

The weather will be drier on Wednesday, except in the Pyrenees, Vosges and the Alps where high-altitude snow is expected, as well as along the Atlantic coast where it could rain in the afternoon. The cold will increase: between 0 and 1°C is expected in Amiens, Reims or Vichy. The temperature is between 5 and 6°C along the Atlantic, between -1°C and 10°C in the Centre, and between 7 and 10°C between Nice and Perpignan.

All mountains will see snowfall at moderately low elevations, announced the forecast agency, which expects snow accumulation “notable everywhere, down to the lowest elevations”. Only the Southern Alps have to step aside a bit. According to Météo France, snow should be abundant west of the Massif Central, northern Alps and western Pyrenees.

Thursday, the mercury will continue to fall, especially in the South where it risks dropping a few degrees in the morning. Temperatures will be between -2°C and 1 degree in the North, Paris region, and in the center of the country, and temperatures can drop below -8°C in the Alps. Across the Mediterranean, it will now be between 1 and 3°C, but in bright sunlight. The northwestern quarter of the country will also be affected by this sunshine throughout the day.

Dry weather on weekends

Between Thursday and Friday, the diagonal from Grand-Est to Sud-Ouest will be affected by clouds and grey, while the entire west of the country (from Normandy to the Pyrenees) will be showered with rain on Friday. In the afternoon, the temperature should be between 2 and 3°C in central and northern France, especially in Paris. And temperatures will be cooler elsewhere: as 7 to 10°C is expected in Brittany, along the Atlantic coast or in the South.

Finally, the sun will be present next weekend in the east of the country, from the North to the Mediterranean coast through the Alps, with a noticeable chill. It should be -5°C in the morning in Grand Est, and down to -10°C in the Alps. In the West, the weather will be cooler with an expected temperature of 7°C in Cherbourg, 9°C in Brest or Biarritz in the morning.