Weather. Thunderstorms, hail... what's in store for you this weekend after the heatwave

"The calm after the storm," as the saying goes. We might be tempted to reverse the order to characterize the weather developments this Ascension weekend. After the very high temperatures of Friday , intense thunderstorms will sweep across the country this Saturday and Sunday. The mercury is also expected to drop by around ten degrees by Monday.

The thermometer has indeed quickly accelerated this week. By Wednesday, the 30°C mark had been crossed on the Mediterranean coast. Repeat the next day, with almost summer-like weather across the country . On Friday, the heat reached peaks, with temperatures between 30 and 35°C, as in Lyon, Toulouse, Montélimar and Bordeaux, far from seasonal norms for the month of May. A record was reached in Gironde, where the commune of Belin-Béliet displayed 36.3°C on the thermometer.

Local records were also broken for the month of May, such as in Castelnaudary in Aude (34.5°C), in Pau in Pyrénées-Atlantiques (34.4°C) and in Brive-la-Gaillarde in Corrèze (33°C).

This dry and sunny weather will ultimately be short-lived. Météo-France predicts a "stormy deterioration" this Saturday, starting in the Massif Central before "spreading towards the north and northeast of the country." If temperatures remain high, around 30°C, intense thunderstorms are expected. Some, combined with hail and strong gusts, could constitute "a dangerous phenomenon," according to the weather forecasting agency.

On Sunday, these storms will spread towards the Southeast and Southwest, causing the mercury to drop. "The drop will be noticeable over a large part of the western part of the country," indicates La Chaîne Météo . It will even be brutal in some places, such as Bordeaux, for example, which could lose 15°C in 72 hours. On the other hand, 29°C is expected in Lyon, 27°C in Strasbourg and 24°C in Paris. Next week promises to be less sunny with the return of showers from Monday in the southeast quarter (and even a few thunderstorms), and Tuesday for the whole country. Temperatures will, however, return to their seasonal norms.