By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
January 9,2016; 9:22PM,EST
Following wet weather in France this weekend, a more potent storm will take aim at the country on Sunday night and Monday.
Residents and visitors will find an extended use for umbrellas across France during the next few days.
While showers started the weekend on Saturday from Toulouse to Lyon and Marseille, a cold front brought more rain to northwestern France.
Saturday's rain wet areas around Nantes, where nearly 75 mm (3 inches) of rain has already fallen in the first seven days of the new year. The normal amount of rain for the entire month of January is 71 mm (2.80 inches).
This rain will then track from northwest to southeast across the country Saturday night, falling as snow in the French Alps. Rain will dampen areas from Paris to Lyon an Toulouse, but the wet weather should stop short of reaching the Mediterranean area. Additional showers will follow the rain on Sunday.
Rainfall totals of 12 to 25 mm (0.50 of an inch to 1.00 inch) with locally higher amounts are generally expected by the end of Sunday along the coasts of Bretagne and Pays de la Loire and from Aquitaine to Rhone Alpes and Franche Comte.
Less rain will be measured in northeastern France, including around Paris.
More rain will spread across the country from west to east on Sunday night and Monday as a storm arrives from the Atlantic. The ski resorts in the French Alps will welcome additional snow that will push totals from this weekend to over a meter (just over 3 feet). More snow will pile up early next week.
Rainfall totals from this storm will range from 6-20 mm (0.25-0.80 of an inch), away from the Mediterranean areas. The corridor with the greatest potential for rainfall amounts around an inch will lie from around Nantes to Bordeaux to Paris and Strasbourg.
While travel will be slowed at times this weekend and into Monday, the rain should not be heavy enough to trigger widespread flash flooding.
"The storm on Monday will be moving too quickly to bring excessive rainfall," AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards said.
Localized issues, however, may arise where the ground is saturated and rivers are running high from recent rain.
"Following a very wet last few weeks, [parts of Aquitaine and Midi Pyrenees] is an area that is not in need of more rain, so there is the threat for localized flooding," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
The same can be said for the coastline from Poitou Charente to Bretagne, where 75-190 mm (3-7.50 inches) has fallen since the start of the new year.
In addition to the rain, the storm on Sunday night and Monday will deliver more wind than what the country will experience this weekend.
A swath of strong winds with gusts of 65-80 km/h (40-50 mph) will sweep across southwestern and central France. There can be gusts to 95 km/h (60 mph) at the coast. Richards expects this zone of winds to remain south of Paris. However, Bordeaux, Dijon and Strasbourg are at risk.
Such winds could lead to sporadic power outages and tree damage. Where the ground is saturated, the winds may have an easier time downing trees.
In the wake of this storm, "The pattern next week looks to be cooler and unsettled across France," Richards said. It will likely be less stormy with more scattered showers than downpours.
"In the French Alps, there will be bouts of snow but accumulations will not be as significant as what is expected this weekend and Monday," Richards said.
Content Contributed by Adam Douty, AccuWeather Meteorologist
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