Storm Pierrick will affect 11 departments this Tuesday, April 9. They are on orange alert for floods and/or wave-submersion. Temperatures will drop across France. The wind should blow less strongly than initially forecast.
According to the latest Météo-France bulletin, Finistère is no longer on orange alert for wave-submersion for April 8. However, Eure, Seine-Maritime, Charente-Maritime, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Gironde still are. Concerning the day of April 9, orange wave-submersion vigilance will concern Finistère, Manche, Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes-d’Armor, Seine-Maritime, Somme and Pas-de-Calais . Orange vigilance for flood risks will be in force in Seine-Maritime, in Eure, in Charente-Maritime, in Gironde and in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The sun should appear in the afternoon, around the Gulf of Lion, where the wind will blow 60 to 80 km/h in gusts. On the other hand, everywhere else, heavy rain and thunder could occur. The wind, coming from the west, will blow 50 to 60 km/h in gusts inland, up to 70/80 km/h near the Channel and the Atlantic, and at its strongest up to at 90/100 km/h in the morning on the Cotentin.
As for temperatures, they should drop sharply. The minimums will range from 5 to 10 degrees in the majority of the country, and from 11 to 15 degrees near the Mediterranean. In the afternoon, it will be between 11 and 15 degrees in most regions, and up to 16 to 22 degrees around the Gulf of Lion and in Corsica.
A storm that rises
The wind blew very strongly from Brittany to the Channel coasts this Monday. A depression formed off the coast of Portugal on Sunday. This storm named Pierrick rose at high speed towards Brittany this Monday, carried by a very dynamic jet stream at 200 km/h from the southwest. Strong gales were expected according to La Chaîne Météo, with gusts reaching 90 to 110 km/h.
This is why a risk of coastal submersion was present in the area, at the time of high water. Waves of 4 to 6 meters will propagate on the coast. And that’s not all. Hot air coming from the Maghreb will confront this strong disturbance in France.
Thunderstorms will form, from the Pyrenees towards the center of the country. They could be accompanied by hail and brutal gusts of wind. The first storms broke out in Lot-et-Garonne and Limousin, which has already caused significant rainfall and lightning in places. The Weather Channel has given its alert forecasts, valid until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
In total, no less than 21 departments were placed at significant risk for thunderstorms this Monday and 4 on orange alert: Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne. In the north-western quarter of the country, 11 departments have been placed at significant wind risk. Finistère is still on orange alert.