VALERY HACHE / AFP
Niçois sheltering on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, in the Alpes-Maritimes (illustrative image)
WEATHER – Call for caution. Météo France has placed thirteen departments on orange alert for storms and/or rain-floods due to the continuation of the“large-scale Cévennes episode” still in progress this Thursday, October 17: Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Corrèze, Lot, Tarn, Aveyron, Aude, Hérault, Lozère, Gard, Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Rhône and the Alpes-Maritimes.
Aveyron, Lozère, Gard and Ardèche are also on orange alert in the face of flood risks.
The southern half of France is therefore particularly affected by this heavy rain which could reach locally this Thursday “40 mm, up to 60/80 mm from northern Occitanie to Burgundy or towards the Basque Country”indicates Météo-France on its site.
“The unstable rains are likely to increase compared to the day before on the plains of Languedoc and PACA, with locally around 50 to 80 mm. On the relief of the Cévennes, we expect another 80 to 100 mm more over the day on average, but locally more than 200 mm again”details the weather institute, as you can see in the map published Wednesday October 16 below:
The rains will be very intense in the Cévennes, warns Météo-France.
Schools closed in the Alpes-Maritimes
The torrential rains began on Wednesday, causing “urban runoff” because of the dryness of the soil, particularly in the Alpes-Maritimes. This Cévennes episode must end Thursday evening. Météo-France estimates that “200 to 300 mm can be accumulated in a widespread manner in 48 hours in the Cévennes, with peaks that can exceed 350 mm”.
Faced with these alerts, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture announced the closure of educational establishments, from nurseries to high schools. In Nice, the parks will be closed and the homeless will be taken care of by the city. In Gard, school transport is canceled in the northern half of the territory. In Lozère, school transport is suspended in the south-east of the department.
The rains will continue on Friday across the country, although with a lull. The gloomy weather will also continue, while a new disturbance is expected to arrive in Brittany.
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