Several departments in the south of France are or will be affected by an episode in the Cévennes between Wednesday and Thursday. Heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms are expected. Nine departments are placed on orange vigilance by Météo France.
An episode in the Cévennes began during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday with significant amounts of rain in several departments in the south-east of France. In its 4 p.m. bulletin, this Wednesday, October 16, Météo France warns several departments. Three more departments are on orange alert for the end of the day: Ardèche, Gard and Lozère. All are on alert for rain and floods, but orange alerts for thunderstorms or floods are also activated in certain areas. The vigilance is due to an episode in the Cévennes which brings significant amounts of rain to the hills. At 3 p.m., Weather France recorded accumulations of between 70 and 200 mm in the Cévennes since the start of the bad weather and up to 200/300 mm occasionally.
The bad weather will continue throughout the day of Thursday October 17 with this time nine departments placed in orange: the Alpes-Maritimes, Aveyron, Corrèze, Lot, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Tarn are added to the three territories already on alert. All will be concerned by rain-flood vigilance, but storm and flood vigilance will be added for the Alpes-Maritimes, Ardèche, Gard and Lozère. Weather France warns that an “evolution of vigilance is not excluded”.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, i.e. in 48 hours, the meteorological agency expects accumulations of “200 to 300 mm widespread over the Cévennes relief and peaks of 400/450 mm possible, or even very occasionally more”. On Thursday alone, “between 150 and 200mm are expected on the Cévennes relief”, or approximately a month of rain precisely The Weather Channel.
Already affected by the Cévennes episode on Wednesday morning, the Alpes Maritimes will see “a new rainy and stormy episode [mettre] in place from midday on Thursday, intense rains will occur at times, possibly giving 70 to 80 mm in a short time, or even 100 mm locally on the relief. “A calm is expected during the night of Thursday to Friday.
On the side of the Pyrenees, “incessant stormy showers will set in for the day and end up giving very significant accumulations of rain, of the order of 100 mm in places, in particular on the Basque mountains” warns Météo France.
While from Aveyron to Corrèze “rain and storms will set in in the afternoon and last until early Friday morning”. “Under storms, up to 30 to 50 mm of rain may fall in 2 to 3 hours. And more generally, over the entire episode, accumulations of 50 to 90 mm of rain are expected with possible peaks in the around 100 mm towards the Lot and the west of Aveyron”.
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4:55 p.m. – Nine departments on orange alert this Thursday
The number of orange vigilance decreased for the day on Wednesday: only Ardèche, Gard and Lozère remain on alert after the lifting of vigilance in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var. Watches for rain-flooding, thunderstorms and floods remain active.
For Thursday October 17, however, nine departments are placed on alert. The Alpes-Maritimes, Aveyron, Corrèze, Lot, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Tarn are added to the three departments on alert this Wednesday. All will be subject only to the rain-flood alert, with the exception of the Maralpin department which will also be on alert for thunderstorms.