The wind blows up to 130 km/h in the northern half of the country with the passage of storm Louis. Violent downpours led to flooding in Vendée and Deux-Sèvres where a motorist died.
The wind blows up to 130kh/h over the northern half of France. Storm Louis continues to advance between the English Channel and the North Sea and in its wake “marked rain accompanied by violent gusts is occurring over a large northern half of the country” reports Meteo France in its latest weather report this Thursday, February 22. To the south, violent gusts are also observed at the foot of the Pyrenees. Gusts often exceeded the 100 km/h mark in Brittany, Normandy, Pays de la Loire and in some departments of Hauts-de-France. Peaks of 135 km/h were recorded in Loire-Atlantique or 127 km/h in Belle-Ile, in Morbihan, and Ile de Ré, in Charente-Maritime. Orange alerts must remain active until at least 11 p.m. this Thursday evening.
Although the wind is still blowing, the rains have calmed down, particularly in Vendée and Deux-Sèvres where the orange rain-flood alerts were lifted in the afternoon. Météo France recorded “between 40 and 60 mm” of rain in 24 hours and “up to 80 mm” very locally.
A man died in Deux-Sèvres
The rains are losing intensity, but the weather event was violent. It even led to the death of a man in Deux-Sèvres. The motorist was swept away by the Le Chambon river while crossing a ford on a road cut off and prohibited from access due to the flooding of the watercourse according to the sub-prefect of Parthenay. The accident occurred in the town of Saint-Georges-de-Noisné. France 3 New Aquitaine specifies that the man was 52 years old and died of drowning. An autopsy must take place to determine the circumstances of death. The vehicle was extracted from the water by agricultural equipment according to the same media.
This Thursday afternoon, storm Louis is deepening in the English Channel and the North Sea. “In its wake, heavy rain accompanied by violent gusts will occur over a large northern half of the country, more particularly in the departments placed on orange alert. These violent gusts will also occur at the foot of the Pyrenees” announces Météo France in its mid-day bulletin. The departments of Gers and Haute-Garonne are placed on orange alert. Over the last twelve hours, we recorded between 20 and 40mm in the two departments in orange. For their part, the departments on yellow “violent wind” vigilance in the northern half may be affected by gusts which can occasionally exceed 100 km/h.
Still 27 departments on orange vigilance
In detail, another 27 departments are placed on orange alert, after the lifting of the alert in Vendée. The North-West of France is no longer the only affected area. The departments of Deux-Sèvres are also affected, as are Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers and Haute-Garonne. In the northern half, the departments which remain concerned are: Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme, Aisne, Seine-Maritime, Oise, Eure, Val-d’Oise, Yvelines, Seine-et-Marne, Essonne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne, Paris, Eure-et-Loir, Calvados, Orne , the Manche, the Ardennes, the Marne and the Meuse.
Météo France estimates that an “extension of vigilance is not envisaged at this stage but is not completely excluded”, but it warns that even in the departments on yellow alert, gusts can reach 100 km/h.
“The wind which accompanies rainy spells and showers in the orange ‘wind’ departments blows strongly and reaches 90 to 110 km/h inland, sometimes 120 km/h. These winds can take on a whirlwind appearance. On the coasts, gusts can reach 120 to 130 km/h,” notes the meteorological agency. The worst of the showers have passed and the precipitation takes on a showery character for the rest of the night. Over the episode, we expect accumulations reaching 30 to 50 millimeters, locally up to 60 millimeters.
This weekend, the wind is expected to concentrate on the northwest part of the country, with gusts of up to 85 km/h on the Basque coast and 75 km/h in Finistère. Thunderstorms will also be on the agenda.