Holiday weather: A western low spreading showers from Spain to France, cool nights but warm sunshine

Across Europe, there is a lot of cloud under a large area of high pressure. For northern Europe under the high, there are pockets of low cloud but also large areas of sunshine. This May sunshine is lifting daytime temperatures but it is still chilly by night. There are frost warnings in eastern Europe, for the Baltic States for growers to protect their crops. Over southern mainland Europe, the bands of frontal cloud are bringing rain with the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms. This week's look at holiday weather includes Belgium, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Orlando, FL.

For those heading off for a European trip, maybe this weekend this time of year presents packing problems. Paris suffered an intense hail storm on May 3rd with rivers of rain and hailstones surging down the streets of the French capital. There was damage to car windows and trees as people ran for cover as the temperature plummeted. 

This weekend it will be warm in Paris at around 23C so pleasantly warm. It will be sunny on Saturday with a bit more cloud by Sunday. There is a risk of a shower on Sunday and a continued small risk into the start of next week but largely, it will be dry and sunny. 

As the UK continues to remember the end of the war in Europe, Belgium will see a sunny and bright weekend with temperatures around 22C. Earlier this month when UK temperatures reached 29.3C  on the 1st in London, the night into the 2nd saw-

“May records of Highest minimums in Germany, in long term stations, minimums up to 19.1C. Record levels also in some stations in Belgium” despite being so early in the month. @ExtremeTemps on X. 

Evening and night-time temperatures will be much lower and it will feel cool in Brugges, Ypres and Antwerp, Flanders after dark this weekend. Germany and the Netherlands also saw heat on May 1st and although it won’t be that hot there will still be warmth and sunshine by day.  There is colder air this weekend over Poland and the Baltic States. Next week showers will begin to appear with the risk of thunderstorms for Belgium by Tuesday.

Spain and Portugal have been suffering from a very unsettled and wet year so far with 15 named storms so far this season, since September 2024. Thanks to the jetstream dipping away to the south, many low pressures have travelled off the Atlantic towards Iberia as high pressure remained over the UK in recent months. On Thursday 8th there were heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings from AEMET which continue for Friday. It will be northern parts of Spain that will see the most showers, spreading into eastern provinces. The Algarve in southern Portugal should be fine at 21C but Lisbon is likely to see a few showers this weekend. 

For Barcelona at the weekend, it will feel okay at 21C but there will be lots of showers mixed with brighter spells. As a low pressure develops over the Bay of Biscay it will bring rain into western France, it could throw a few thundery showers over the Channel Islands and even southern Britain by Sunday. The rain will then reach the south of France and Sardinia on Sunday night into Monday.

Rome and the Vatican will enjoy a fine, sunny weekend. Ideal for watching the smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, should there be any. The sunshine will be hazy at times with temperatures of 22 to 24C. 

Next week the unsettled weather over central France will reach down to Nice and the Alps with thundery showers into Italy by Tuesday. The Canary Islands could also see blustery showers off the Atlantic by Tuesday.

Further afield, USA

Disney World, Orlando FL  31C with a mix of some bright spells but plenty of heavy showers with hail and thunderstorms. It will feel humid with more showers early next week. Drier by Wednesday with hot sunshine, so improving midweek.