Persistant rain and strong winds prompt weather alerts

Rain and strong gusty winds in northern France have prompted Météo France to place five departments on orange weather alert.

Conditions in the Calvados Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Seine-Maritime and Somme are expected to remain difficult all day, the national forecaster warned in its early morning forecast, as it monitored a slow-moving weather depression across the region.

Between 40mm and 60mm of rain is expected in some areas, which could lead to localised flooding. Meanwhile, winds along the Hauts-de-France coastline could reach between 80kph to 100kph while localised coastal flooding could occur at high tide, around mid-day.