Aude, Hérault, Loire and Haute-Loire have been added to the nine departments already placed on alert since Wednesday, for Thursday.

Météo-France has placed 13 départements under orange vigilance this Thursday, October 17, due to an “intense rainstorm” affecting the south of France, with heavy rainfall expected. The bad weather continues to spread, now affecting a greater number of regions.

A tense weather situation

The south of France is particularly hard hit, and the orange vigilance has been extended to 13 départements, compared with five the previous day. The areas concerned stretch from the Atlantic coast to the Alps. Météo-France warned that the situation remained uncertain as to the location of the strongest thunderstorms and heaviest rainfall.

Details of alerts

Five départements are on alert for severe thunderstorms: Aude, Hérault, Lozère, Gard and Alpes-Maritimes. Thirteen departments are concerned by the risk of rain and flooding: Loire, Haute-Loire, Corrèze, Lot, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Tarn, Aveyron, Lozère, Ardèche, Gard and Alpes-Maritimes. Lastly, four departments – Aveyron, Lozère, Ardèche and Gard – have also been placed under flood watch.

A particularly intense Cevenol episode

According to Météo-France, this episode “requires special monitoring due to its intensity and duration”. In the Cévennes and Vivarais regions, rainfall totals are already reaching impressive levels: between 200 and 300 mm, with peaks of 350 to 500 mm in certain areas such as the Ardèche mountains.

Preventive measures in the south

In view of the seriousness of the situation, a number of safety measures have been taken. In the Alpes-Maritimes region, all schools, from nurseries to high schools, will remain closed on Thursday. In Nice, public parks will also be closed, and action has been taken to protect the homeless. In addition, the SNCF has suspended train services between Alès and Langogne until Friday morning to ensure the safety of passengers. School transport has also been suspended in certain areas of the Gard and Lozère regions.

The situation remains worrying, and further intense rainfall is expected in the next few hours.