Ex-hurricane Leslie set to hit south of France tonight
Rain and strong winds are expected from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean
Rain is expected to fall for multiple days in the south
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An Atlantic storm is expected to hit France tonight, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the south.
Formerly classified as a hurricane (but since downgraded as it moved through the Atlantic), ‘Leslie’ has moved through the Iberian peninsula and is set to reach the south of France tonight (October 15).
The humid air is expected to bring rain and strong winds to the Pyrénées as well as to the Gard, Lozère, and Hérault departments.
Tonight, the south-west (excluding the Pyrénées) should be mostly unaffected, however the rain and winds are predicted to move north and west on Wednesday (October 16), towards Toulouse and Limoges.
They are unlikely to reach Bordeaux, which currently is not facing any weather alerts for Wednesday.
Tier-three orange warnings are in place for heavy rain / flash flooding and stormy weather from midnight tonight (leading into Wednesday daytime) in Gard and Lozère.
Lower-level tier-two warnings are in place across some departments in the south, mostly for stormy weather and strong winds, but also for heavy rain / flash flooding, with more set to come into force from Wednesday morning.
Depending on how the storm progresses this evening, these warnings may be increased.
You can find all official warnings via state forecaster Météo France.
Read more: Weather in France October 14 - 18: Forecast by area this week
Storms also expected in the south-east
At the same time, storm Leslie is expected to kickstart a cévenol episode, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the south-east of France and the Massif Central mountains.
Heavy rainfall is predicted to begin Wednesday morning, most likely lasting until Thursday evening, potentially into Friday in coastal areas.
Up to 50mm of rain should fall along the coast, and up to 150mm in the Cévennes mountains.
Weather alerts are likely to increase over this period in the affected areas. Flooding is expected, especially along the Rhône valley, with ground near waterways still saturated by last week’s heavy rainfall.
Read more: What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings
