Météo France is forecasting thunderstorms of varying intensity this Saturday afternoon and evening (27 April). Eight départements, including Charente, Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne and Lot, have been placed under orange alert due to this risk

According to the French Meteorological Institute, these thunderstorms could be accompanied by strong electrical activity, powerful wind gusts (reaching 80 to 100 km/h), intense rainfall and hail.

Precipitation is expected over a large part of the country. In mountainous regions such as the Pyrenees and southern Aquitaine, as well as in Poitou-Charentes, Pays de la Loire and as far as the Belgian borders, rain will fall in the morning, with the possibility of snow above 2,000 metres. In Brittany, the weather will be split between sun and cloud, with a few scattered showers. The precipitation will then increase from the Charente coast, intensifying the rain for the second half of the day.

Further east, the skies will be generally overcast, with continuous rain stretching from the Montagne Noire to the Cévennes, and showers affecting Corsica, the Massif Central and the border Alps, where the snow will start at 1,600 metres.

In the afternoon, Brittany will enjoy calm weather with changing skies. The west of the country will experience increasing instability, with thunderstorms possible from the Aquitaine coast to the Centre-Val de Loire, possibly accompanied by hail.

To the east and in Corsica, the skies will remain overcast, with continuous rain persisting over the Cévennes, the Pyrenees and the border Alps, where the snow will start at 2,000 metres.

The south-easterly wind will strengthen as the day progresses, reaching speeds of 80 to 100 km/h in certain areas such as the Autan, the crests of the Pyrenees and the heights of the Massif Central.

Morning temperatures will range from 6 to 8 degrees inland and 8 to 12 degrees by the sea. Maximum temperatures will be between 12 and 14 degrees in Brittany and Normandy, between 15 and 18 degrees in the northern half of the country, and between 18 and 20 degrees in the south.