Flood warning for parts of Brittany as heavy rain forecast overnight

Two departments in Brittany are on rain and flood alert from tonight (Sunday, December 18) as heavy rainfall is expected.

Finistère and Morbihan are on orange Météo France alert, with the warning set to last until at least Monday morning.

Heavy rain is forecast, including “remarkable levels” of water expected in Finistère especially.

The rain will fall on cold ground after a period of very low temperatures, so there will be a risk of ice in Brittany and Normandy.

Rain is expected in Normandy, Centre-Val-de-Loire, in Hauts-de-France, and the Paris region.

Towards the south and the Mediterranean, clouds are expected to return, pushed by sea winds. Some rain is also expected in Languedoc-Roussillon and Cévennes.

It comes after the country has been hit by lower-than-average temperatures in the past week, dropping as low as -15C in some areas last night (Saturday, December 17).

On average, temperatures have been 5C lower than the seasonal norm. Even the south of the mainland has not escaped the cold. Only Corsica was spared, at 14C on average on the island.

The return of rain signals warming temperatures. It is unlikely to be a white Christmas, with temperatures expected to be between 9-14C in the north of the country, and as high as 17C in Biarritz and Corsica, for the week of December 19-25.

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