Bad weather in the south of France: major disruption to transport and roads

This Thursday, violent showers and flooding are affecting the Rhône, Loire and Occitanie regions in particular. The bad weather is causing widespread disruption to transport networks and road infrastructures. Here’s an update at 3pm.

Weather alert: red and orange vigilance
Météo-France has placed four départements under red alert (Loire, Ardèche, Haute-Loire and Rhône) due to the risk of thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding. Twenty other departments in the south of France are under orange vigilance. As a result, several schools have been closed, notably in the Alpes-Maritimes.

Roads closed in the Rhône
Road traffic has been severely disrupted, with the A47 freeway closed this morning between the “Givors Ouest” interchange and Ternay, in both directions. In addition, several departmental roads (D488, D502, D103 and D342) have become impassable due to flooding. The Prefecture reminds motorists never to drive or walk on flooded roads.

Rail network: traffic severely disrupted
Train traffic is also severely affected by the bad weather. On the Lyon-Saint-Étienne line, TER traffic has been completely disrupted and is not expected to resume until the morning of Friday October 18. The SNCF has set up buses to pick up passengers.

In the Rhone Valley, disruptions have been reported, and in the Toulouse region, several lines are at a standstill for the whole day. The routes linking Toulouse to Rodez, Mazamet, Brive, Figeac and Aurillac are closed without alternative solutions.

Between Alès and Langogne, and between Bédarieux and Marvejols, traffic is suspended until the morning of Friday October 18. In the southeast, lines between Les Arcs and Ventimiglia will be interrupted from 5.30pm on Thursday.

In Burgundy-Franche-Comté, heavy rain and thunderstorms are also threatening to disrupt MOBIGO trains and buses, particularly in the Jura, Côte-d’Or and Saône-et-Loire regions, until October 18.

Air: delays to be expected
On the air side, Nice airport has warned that delays are to be expected due to the difficult weather conditions affecting several regions of Europe. These disruptions could impact flights throughout the day.

In conclusion, this Thursday’s bad weather has caused major disruption to land and air transport in the south of France, resulting in road closures, train cancellations and flight delays. Travelers are advised to keep abreast of developments in real time.