Météo-France has issued a new vigilance for risks of storms, rain and floods for Thursday October 17, placing thirteen departments in the South and Center in orange, leading to closures of educational establishments, particularly in the Alpes-Maritimes. .
As a precaution, in this department of the South-East, all establishments welcoming young people, from nurseries to high schools, will remain closed on Thursday, as had already been the case on October 8, announced the prefect. In Nice, parks will be closed and measures to shelter the homeless have been taken 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.
Cet “intense rain-storm episode (…) requires special monitoring due to its intensity and duration” with “uncertainties about the location of the strongest storms and the heaviest precipitation”writes the organization in its 10 p.m. bulletin.
Train traffic completely interrupted
Gard, Lozère and Ardèche, the last three departments still on orange alert for rain-flooding late Wednesday afternoon, will be joined on Thursday by the Alpes-Maritimes, Aveyron, Corrèze, Lot, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Tarn, the Loire and the Haute-Loire. Ardèche, Lozère and Gard will also remain on orange alert for floods, joined by Aveyron, while significant storm activity is expected in Lozère, Tarn, Alpes-Maritimes, Aude, Gard, Hérault and Aveyron.
The current Cévennes episode gives “significant accumulations of rain, mainly on the Ardèche terrain and spilling over into the east of Haute-Loire and the south of the Loire”according to Météo-France. On the relief of the Cévennes and Vivarais, the accumulations reach 200 to 300 millimeters since the start of the episode, up to occasionally 350 to 400 millimeters in the Lozère Cévennes, and 450 to 500 millimeters on the Ardèche mountains.
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On Wednesday morning, the SNCF decided to completely interrupt train traffic between Alès (Gard) and Langogne (Lozère) until Friday morning, “for the safety of travelers and in order to avoid any incident”.
In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, precipitation began on Wednesday evening and could result in significant accumulations in the Basque mountains. In the Alpes-Maritimes, rain is expected from Thursday at midday, with a lull expected during the night from Thursday to Friday. Finally in Corrèze, Lot, Tarn and Aveyron, precipitation is expected Thursday afternoon until Friday morning with possible peaks of around 100 millimeters towards the Lot and the west of Aveyron.
