France on alert for heavy rain and strong gales as storm Aitor passes
Some areas will see more than 100 mm of rainfall before the end of the week
Rainfall from the storm will last until the end of the week
Aleksei Ignatov/Shutterstock
A fierce storm is set to move eastward over France today (September 25) bringing heavy rain to central and western parts of the country.
The storm, named Aitor by the Spanish meteorological authorities, will hit the western coast around Nantes this morning, before moving east up to the Belgian and German borders throughout the day.
It will also hit central France, reaching the Alps and the Swiss border.
Read more: Weather in France September 23 – September 27: Forecast by area this week
Heavy rainfall is predicted in the next 48 hours – up to 60 mm around Nantes (Loire Atlantique) and central France in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and up to 100 mm in the northern Alps and Swiss border.
In some central-western areas up to one month's worth of rainfall is expected to hit in the first few hours of the storms’ passage this morning, before rain levels in the west drop.
Strong gales are also expected, generally reaching around 70 km/h and rising to potentially 90 km/h tomorrow (September 26) in the north of France.
In some parts of the Massif Central and Jura mountain ranges, the winds will reach between 100 km/h and 120 km/h, however.
Currently, state forecaster Météo France has only placed tier-two warnings for heavy rainfall and strong winds – the lowest possible – across western, central, and eastern departments.
However, these warnings may increase in intensity depending on how the storms progress.
You can keep up with all official announcements through the Météo France website.
Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France
