Southern departments on alert for storm-force winds

Violent winds are set to batter four southern departments from mid-morning to late in the evening, Météo-France has warned.

In its 6am weather update, the national forecaster placed Vaucluse, Drôme, Bouches-du-Rhône and Pyrénées-Orientales on orange alert for storm-force winds, as the mistral sweeps into the southeast, and tramontane hits the southwest.

Mistral gusts are expected to reach up to 120kph in Drôme, 130kph in Vaucluse and the Bouches-du-Rhône.

Meanwhile, tramontane winds as high as 150kph in parts of Pyrénées-Orientales, Météo-France said, with average wind speeds of between 50kph and 70kph.