Heavy rain and storms in south of France: two departments on high alert
There is a risk of local flooding, warns official weather service
The downpour forecast in Gard and Hérault could see between 80 and 120mm fall in several hours
Obatala-photography / Frank Wagner / Shutterstock
Storms and heavy rain is forecast for the south of France on Sunday evening (September 22), with state weather service Météo France placing two departments on high (orange) alert due to the risk of flooding.
Gard and Hérault could see between 80 and 120mm of rainfall in two to three hours as the storm reaches maximum intensity between 18:00 and midnight.
“Thunder and rain will reach the Cévennes and Haut-Languedoc towards midday, then spread to the plains and foothills of Gard and Hérault”, warns Météo France. “It is the lowland areas between Montpellier and Nîmes that are most at risk.”
Météo France notes that the bad weather is “usual for autumn,” but advises that it could increase the weather alert level depending on its severity.
The storm should dissipate by Monday morning (September 23).
Autumn weather
The first day of autumn has seen overcast and rainy weather cover most of France after the high-pressure system that caused temperatures to rise in the third week of September split in two.
This split created conditions that favour thunderstorms moving from Spain and north from the Mediterranean. Such storms, which are common in September, are known as épisodes méditerranéens.
One such épisode méditerranéen in 2002 saw over 680mm of precipitation fall in 24 hours, causing 22 deaths in Gard.
