Heavy rain storms prompt weather alerts

Three departments in the south of France are on heightened alert for rain and floods on Thursday.

The Alpes-Maritimes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Var remain on orange weather warnings - the second-highest alert level issued by Meteo France.

The national forecaster said that heavy rain was set continue throughout the day and into the evening. It warned of long and severe storms in the southeast, while storms in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques would be concentrated along the Basque coast.

The clouds in the southeast will be driven by strong easterly winds in Provence, where gusts of up to 70kph are expected.

Local storms are also predicted from the Charente to the Belgian border, and could reach Burgundy and Brittany by the evening. Meteo France said that repeated thundery rain showers are forecast from the Massif Central to the Alps in the afternoon.

Towards the northeast, morning cloud is expected to break up, allowing the sun to break through by the afternoon.