Red vigilance and orange warnings: the Kirk depression impacts northern France

Bad weather linked to the Kirk depression is now affecting the northern half of France. According to the Météo-France bulletin, this situation has led to Seine-et-Marne being placed under red vigilance for flood risks on the Grand Morin downstream. At the same time, 35 départements have been placed under orange vigilance for “rain-flooding”, “wind” or “flooding”.

Specific alerts have been issued:

– Violent winds : Ain, Doubs, Isère, Jura, Loire, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Rhône, Haute-Saône and Saône-et-Loire are on alert.

– Rain and flooding: The following departments are affected: Aisne, Alpes-Maritimes, Ardennes, Aube, Eure-et-Loir, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loire-Atlantique, Loiret, Maine-et-Loire, Marne, Mayenne, Meuse, Oise, Sarthe, Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Vendée, Yvelines, Deux-Sèvres, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Val-d’Oise.

– Floods: Specific warnings have also been issued for Alpes-Maritimes, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Vendée.

Météo-France points out that “the rainfall associated with the Kirk low-pressure system is affecting the whole of the northern half of the country”. As a result, the Vigicrues website notes that “the precipitation observed and expected on Wednesday and [during] the night will lead to a general rise in water levels on the Grand Morin”. Maximum water levels, particularly in the Pommeuse region, are expected to be reached in the morning or during the day on Thursday, with a “strong to major flood” warning.