PHOTOS: Rivers flood French towns and giant hailstones over weekend
Hundreds of homes had to be evacuated in the west. We include videos of the flooding
Both west and east France faced flooding during the Easter weekend. Photo for illustrative purposes only
Diane Edorh / Shutterstock / Paysanheureux1 / Twitter
Several areas of France saw rivers burst their banks and flood through towns over the Easter weekend with storms and heavy rain sweeping across the south-west and east. Hundreds of homes had to be evacuated.
Many departments still face warnings over river levels, particularly in the south-west and east.
Read more: River flood alerts in south-west and east France then 30C highs on way
The Arroux and Armançon rivers in the east of France remain at the highest possible risk level for flooding today (April 2).
The videos below posted on social media show the impact of flooding from these rivers.
Other rivers in the east flooded, including the Ouche, close to Dijon.
In the west, departments including the Dordogne, Indre-et-Loire, and Gironde are also facing heightened flooding alerts.
The Vienne river flooded a number of villages over the weekend.
Hundreds were evacuated from their homes in the Vienne and Indre-et-Loire departments.
This included in the villages of Loché-sur-Indrois and Nouans-les-Fontaines.
Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France
April hailstones
It was not only flooding that departments faced over the weekend but also hailstones.
In the Drôme (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), hail up to 5cm in diameter fell during the most intense part of Monday’s storms.
Hail also fell in Lyon and as far north as the Marne.
Storms are forecast in Brittany today, however the rest of France should face a few days of calmer weather.
In the areas currently facing floods, skies should be clear of rain, except for brief overnight showers in the east.
Related articles
What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings
