What is the best way to find weather alerts in my department in France?

Reader Question: We live in Haute-Garonne and know there are lots of storms, sometimes catching us by surprise. Is there a way to get up to date information about storms or other issues in the department?

France has a robust series of weather alert systems in place, based on data taken from both French and European meteorological stations and forecasting models. 

There are certain private forecasts that include national weather warnings as part of their bulletins, the most notable of these being La Chaîne Météo (owned by Le Figaro). 

However, the majority of weather information in France comes through the state forecaster Météo France, which acts as a one-stop shop for all weather warnings and provides daily ‘official’ alerts.

This includes natural phenomena such as storms, natural disasters such as flooding (both river and coastal), as well as intense cold and heat. It also provides warnings for black ice for drivers as well as a forest fire risk map. 

Warnings use a tiered colour system, ranging from green (no warning in place), yellow (remain vigilant), orange (take necessary precautions and avoid being outside where possible) and red (most severe alerts, stay inside unless absolutely necessary). 

An in-depth article covering the alert system is available here. 

The warnings are used by departmental authorities as a basis to plan for certain weather events, for example closing schools or parks due to severe weather or enacting heatwave plans.

State forecaster regularly updates alerts

The best way to keep up with alerts is to regularly check the forecaster’s app or website. 

Under the ‘vigilance’ section, this shows an interactive map of mainland France and Corsica, showing all the weather alerts in place. 

It is updated at least twice per day, at 06:00 and then at 16:00, detailing changes to both its general forecast and any alerts in place.

During periods of more frequent disturbances, or during major events such as a storm, this can be updated more frequently, up to several times across a single day. 

Alongside the app and website, updates – usually in the form of a static screenshot showing warnings – are given on its social media pages (typically Facebook and X). Note however that not all updates are posted on social media.

Météo France only publishes alerts one day in advance to ensure accuracy in its warnings, meaning you should frequently check the website throughout the week.

During periods of intense weather, local websites will also provide coverage of conditions. 

This includes regional branches of France3 (run by the public service broadcaster with articles always free to access), regional or departmental branches of the news site Actu, and smaller local media outlets – although note the latter two may have paywalls or a subscription service, requiring payment to access articles about the weather. 

Generally these local media will report on local conditions in more detail – hotspots for conditions, recent damage, coverage of local rule changes due to the weather – but will use the state forecaster’s official warnings. 

It is useful therefore to get the information directly from Météo France as a first stop, before looking for more local information.

Of course, The Connexion frequently writes about weather alerts in English for our readers. 

We cover major weather conditions (heatwaves, storms, flooding, etc) that reach a heightened orange warning, particularly if they are in areas with lots of readers including the south-west, Riviera, Brittany, Normandy, etc. 

What about emergency and direct alerts? 

It is also possible to obtain real-time alerts relating to weather events in your area.

If you download the Météo France app, there will be a choice to be notified of any weather alerts in your department for the day. 

You will be able to set your department as well as the warning level required for the notification (yellow, orange, red), with notifications appearing as a pop-up or ‘push’ notification on your device. 

Alternatively, the forecaster offers a paid-for ‘vigimet’ service that sends an email, text, fax, or telephone message whenever a weather warning is raised in your commune or department. 

It comes as a rolling subscription, and starts from €20.80 for one month – you can find it here.

In the event of a serious weather emergency, the ‘FR Alert‘ system can be used to warn people nearby of the incident. 

This includes those without French mobiles (provided they have data roaming turned on) as messages are not sent through SMS systems but via geolocation data. 

This includes not only severe weather events but also wildfires, and natural disasters such as flooding.