Flights cancelled as south of France braces for arrival of Storm Charles

Flights from Nice have been affected as Storm Charles brings severe weather to parts of southern Europe, with more unsettled conditions expected in southern France.

Today, Wednesday, weather conditions are relatively mild across much of France, with some showers expected.

However, conditions are expected to deteriorate on Thursday as a new area of low pressure, named Storm Charles, moves north from the Iberian Peninsula towards southern France.

The storm has already disrupted air travel from the south of France, with two flights from Nice Côte d’Azur airport listed as cancelled on Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

The storm has already created havoc for air travel in Spain and Portugal with more than 180 flights cancelled at Lisbon airport and more than 150 at Madrid airport.

Passengers travelling to Spain or Portugal are advised to check with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.

Storm Charles to bring heavy rain to southern France

South-west France is seeing brighter conditions on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 22C in parts of Aquitaine. Along the Mediterranean coast, temperatures are around 18C to 21C, while some showers are expected in eastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) and Corsica.

In central and eastern France, rain and occasional thunderstorms are expected, while showers are also moving across the north-west.

With the arrival of the weather front from the Iberian peninsula, conditions are set to change overnight. 

Météo-France said rain is forecast across a large part of southern France, affecting areas from the Pyrenees and Mediterranean coast towards Poitou-Charentes, Berry and parts of eastern France.

Rainfall is set to be especially heavy in Languedoc, southern Rhône-Alpes and PACA during Thursday morning, with a risk of thunderstorms.

In the afternoon, the heaviest rainfall is expected to move towards areas east of Rhône and Corsica. Significant rainfall is also forecast in Cévennes, PACA and Corsican mountains.

Meanwhile, gusts could reach 60-80km/h in several areas, with locally 90km/h in the Tramontane wind corridor and up to 100km/h at altitude in the Pyrenees.

Four departments - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes and Hautes-Pyrénées - are under a yellow rain-flood warning.

Additionally, six departments - Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Gard, Hérault and Corse-du-Sud - are under a yellow alert for coastal flooding and dangerous waves.

Weather improves on Friday

The weather is set to improve on Friday (November 13).

In the south, showers at the start of the day are set to become restricted to areas near the Pyrenees and Corsica.

Temperatures will also fall, dropping below seasonal averages in some areas. The cool weather is expected to continue overnight into Saturday, with some light frost possible across northern France.

Flights cancelled at Nice airport

Disruption due to Storm Charles in Portugal and Spain led to the cancellation of two flights from Nice on Wednesday - the 11:55 departure to Lisbon and a flight to Madrid scheduled for 19:00.

At Lisbon airport, 183 flights were reportedly cancelled, representing around 33% of its usual traffic. Madrid airport recorded 155 cancellations, equivalent to about 13% of its traffic.