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Extremely heavy rains have led to "unprecedented" flooding in several areas of southern France leading to multiple road closures
French national weather service Météo France placed six départements in south-eastern France on the highest (red) weather warning due to heavy rains and flooding
In Ardèche 600mm of rain has fallen in 48 hours
Environment minister Angès Pannier-Runacher said: " We're facing a situation unprecedented in its scale - 600mm of water on the Ardèche [in 48 hours] is unprecedented in living memory
“all the calculations and installations designed to prevent flooding have been exceeded” by the rainfall
Several other towns have experienced severe flooding
La situation est catastrophique à Rive-de-Gier ! Placé en vigilance rouge, le Gier subit une crue remarquable. Vidéo: Kamel SK Sebaa pic.twitter.com/4foLzoquoO
34 other départements were placed on orange alert
Pour jeudi 17 octobre 2024 :🔴 6 départements en Vigilance rouge🟠 34 départements en Vigilance orangePour vendredi 18 octobre 2024 :🔴 5 départements en Vigilance rouge🟠 33 départements en Vigilance orangeRestez prudents et informés :https://t.co/JGz4rTUvHP pic.twitter.com/mRviU59hIE
Authorities have warned that people should not walk or drive anywhere near a flooded road or waterway
particularly if there is a route barrée (road closure) sign
The Rhône prefecture closed the A47 motorway on Thursday morning
at Givors in the direction of Saint-Etienne/ Lyon
Several roads in the département were also closed
Autoroute A 47 Givors ! Lien en bio pic.twitter.com/sbZxv0vJwq
Numerous other smaller roads have also been closed
some due to flooding others because of landslips caused by the heavy rain
As for rail travel, SNCF Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes announced on their website that trains running on the Lyon/St-Etienne/Firminy/Le Puy route have been halted since 10am due to worsening weather conditions
🔴 10h37 : la circulation est interrompue toute la journée entre Saint Etienne et Lyon à cause des conditions météorologiques qui ont provoqué d'importantes inondations sur la ligne
They advised that people "stay where you are this evening if you can" and that "traffic will not be able to resume until tomorrow
Rail traffic was also halted on several lines north and northeast of Toulouse due to "strong winds
"In order to ensure the safety of passengers and staff
there will be a complete halt to traffic on the Toulouse-Rodez,Toulouse-Mazamet,Rodez-Brive
Figeac-Aurillac routes throughout the day (Thursday
"No road substitutions will be made available", SNCF Occitanie announced on X on Wednesday
How can I find out if my area is affected by rail or road disruption
Préfectures and town halls will use local and social media (X/ Twitter of Facebook account) to issue regular advice
information about road and school closures
If your département is on red alert you should closely follow local media such as local radio stations
or the social media or your local préfecture or mairie and follow their instructions if an order is given to evacuate
To keep track of weather warnings, you should go to the 'Vigilance' page of Météo France HERE
go to the regional SNCF website or Twitter account for updates
Météo France has warned that intense rains
could continue until the end of the day on Thursday
They also noted that in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var départements
As for the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Hautes-Pyrénées areas
the forecasters warned that persistent precipitation could lead to 70 to 100 mm of rainfall
the forecasters expected that rain and storms will last until Friday morning in the rest of the south-west
Schools and nursery (crèche) centres were closed on Thursday in parts of Ardèche and Alpes-Maritimes
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Several parts of southern France were still under water on Friday morning
after heavy rainfall and flooding on Thursday and earlier in the week
authorities are working to pump away flood water
while schools and nurseries may be closed again on Friday
the "cumulative rainfall reached 600 to 700mm in 48 hours"
Ardèche préfet Sophie Elizéon told Franceinfo that her area had seen "nearly 50 percent of a year's worth of rainfall" in 48 hours
"We have never had a disaster on such a scale," president of the Ardèche departmental council Olivier Amrane told the French press
Schools and nurseries (crèches) in the département were expected to remain closed on Friday
🚒🌧️ Après une journée incroyable, et une crue jamais vue, un immense merci aux pompiers, gendarmes, services de l'Etat et des collectivités, tous mobilisés en Ardèche et à Annonay. Encore une grande prudence à observer par les habitants de la @VilleAnnonay et d'@arhoneagglo pic.twitter.com/WqVesXmkc5
Graves inondations à Rive-de-Gier dans la Loire. @MeteoExpress pic.twitter.com/f3stj5bxnR
a total 711mm of rain was recorded on Thursday
also experienced heavy rainfall leading to a shopping centre car park being entirely submerged
Paris and the capital region also saw heavy rains on Thursday afternoon
leading to flooding in the city and surrounding suburbs
Alors que l'Île-de-France est placée en vigilance orange pour pluies et inondations, les abords de la gare Montparnasse à Paris sont submergés. pic.twitter.com/BotTuw5A1y
18 French départements were still on the second-highest weather warning - the orange alert
with inhabitants urged to be "very vigilant"
The following départements were on alert for possible flooding: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
the following départements were on alert for heavy rains leading to possible floods: Ariège
People in orange alert areas should know that "Dangerous phenomena are expected" and they should "stay informed of developments and follow the safety advice issued by public authorities," according to national weather service
READ MORE: Explained: How France’s weather warning system works
Pour vendredi 18 octobre 2024 :🟠 18 départements en Vigilance orangePour samedi 19 octobre 2024 :🟠 9 départements en Vigilance orangeRestez prudents et informés :https://t.co/JGz4rTUvHP pic.twitter.com/hvGtB9SyF2
While forecasters believe the most intense rain and flooding has ended and calmer weather is expected in the south-east
parts of the south-west were expected to continue seeing heavy rain until early Friday afternoon
with some thunderstorms in the Burgundy region
To keep track of weather warnings, you should go to the 'Vigilance' page of Météo France HERE
removing flood water may take several days
As of Friday morning, the A47 motorway, which suffered intense flooding, remained closed to traffic in both directions at Givors in the Rhône département
Smaller roads in the area may be closed as well
particularly if there is a route barrée (road closed) sign
#Rhône 🔴 Images hallucinantes : l'A47 a totalement disparu sous les eaux, des automobilistes ont été contraints d'abandonner leurs véhicules pic.twitter.com/KV3ZBC62bP
Rail traffic remained disrupted on the Saint-Etienne - Lyon and Saint-Etienne - Le Puy lines
These lines may remain closed for several days
the RER E was disrupted between Haussman and Rosa-Parks stations on Friday morning
go to the regional SNCF website or X account for updates
the French ministry of interior published a press release noting that 1,000 rescue operations had taken place
with 900 people brought to safety across much of southern France
there have not been any reported deaths or severe injuries related to the heavy rains and floods in southern France
but in Paris a man died after a tree fell on him in the 19th arrondissement
it remains unclear whether this was directly related to the heavy rains that took place Thursday afternoon
France's minister for ecological transition - Agnès Pannier-Runacher - has called the situation "unprecedented in its scale
600 millimetres of water in the Ardèche is unprecedented in living memory"
noting that the episodes were linked to climate change
She will visit the Loire and Ardèche départements on Friday
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