Haute-Loire and Ardèche on red alert, nineteen departments in orange

A section of river in Haute-Loire was placed on red alert on Thursday October 17 for the risk of flooding, announced the department prefecture and the Vigicrues information service. Consequently, Météo-France also applied red vigilance for floods in Haute-Loire, and for rain and floods in Ardèche, in a bulletin published shortly after 10 a.m. More than 100 millimeters of additional rain are expected in eastern Haute-Loire, where a portion of the Lignon du Velay river could overflow, said the prefecture of this department, calling for people to stay at home. In Ardèche, several roads have been closed due to flooding or landslides, according to the prefecture.

The forecaster also increased his vigilance in the south of the country, placing nineteen other departments in orange for floods, rain-floods and storms. The bulletin warns of “exceptional rainfall in Ardèche and exceptional flooding on the Lignon”in Haute-Loire, and against “heavy rains, strong thunderstorms and strong floods in many regions”notably in the Cévennes, the Massif-Central, in Occitanie, in the east of Provence and the south of Aquitaine.

Thursday morning, at dawn, thirteen departments were on orange alert, leading to closures of schools, particularly in the Alpes-Maritimes. As a precaution, all establishments in the department 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.

Train traffic interrupted

Rail traffic will also be completely interrupted on several lines north and north-east of Toulouse for the entire day of Thursday due to “strong winds, rain and storms”announces liO Train SNCF Occitanie on its website. “A total interruption of traffic on the Toulouse-Rodez, Toulouse-Mazamet, Rodez-Brive, Montauban-Cahors-Brive, Toulouse-Figeac-Aurillac axes is planned for Thursday. No road substitution will be put in place »specifies liO Train SNCF Occitanie. On Wednesday morning, the SNCF had already decided to completely interrupt train traffic between Alès (Gard) and Langogne (Lozère) until Friday morning.

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.

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, Ariège, Aveyron, Corrèze , Dordogne, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Lozère, Lot, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Rhône, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Loire and Haute-Loire, and the Var. Ardèche, Lozère and Gard will also remain on orange alert for floods, joined by Aveyron, Rhône, Loire, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes.

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.

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.