One death and thousands without electricity after storms in France

More than 90,000 homes in France are without electricity this morning after the passage of storm Louis hit dozens of departments in the north and west of the country.

A driver died in the Deux-Sèvres when the wind and strong river currents caused his car to come off the river bridge he was crossing and into the water at about 13:00.

The 52-year old, who has not been named, became trapped in his car, which was later found around 100 metres downstream stuck between trees in Saint-Georges-de-Noisné.

The bridge had reportedly been marked as temporarily restricted due to the high levels of the Chambon river which it crosses.

A couple in their 60s in the Dordogne saw their car crushed by a falling tree whilst waiting at a red light, however they were rescued and escaped without serious injuries.

The most intense period of the storm is over and the majority of tier-three orange warnings have been lifted.

However, heightened alerts remain in place for potential river flooding in Deux-Sèvres and Vendée departments

Much of France is on a less severe tier-two yellow warning due to the continuation of the storm but weather events will be less impactful than yesterday.

There will be persistent rainfall across all of France throughout the weekend, particularly in the south-west where up to 100mm may fall.

Storm chaos

Clearage and repair work is underway in many areas. A Nantes-Lyon TGV train was blocked by a falling tree for a number of hours, and parts of the ring road in western city were closed due to flooding.

The 90,000 homes without electricity are “mostly in the north of France,” said Enedis, who manages France’s electrical grid, but most should see their power come back throughout the course of today.

Read more: Ten tips on insurance claims for storm damage in France

Worst of the storm over, but cautions remain

The most recent update from Météo France, at 06:00 today (February 23) placed 57 departments on some form of weather warning, 55 of these on yellow.

There are warnings for high winds, strong rains, stormy weather, river flooding, coastal waves, avalanches, and perhaps surprisingly, icy road conditions.

Read more: 4 tips to stay safe and check icy roads in real-time in France

The weekend will see a drop of temperatures before a more marked fall at the start of next week.

You can keep up to date with weather reports using the official Météo Francewebsite. Note that warning levels are updated throughout the day.

You can also use the Vigicrues website to keep informed of river levels. The three rivers currently at a tier-three orange level risk of flooding are the Sièvre Nortaise, Sèvre Nantaise, and Lay.

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