[UPDATE 24/10/2023 15:20: all tier-three orange warnings have been lifted, with 17 tier-two yellow warnings remaining in place across the country. The A8 motorway is now open again, although there is heavy traffic in the direction towards Italy.]
Heavy rains are continuing to pummel the east of France, with heightened weather warnings still in place.
Alpes-Maritimes joined five eastern departments already placed on a tier-three orange warning for heavy rain and flooding yesterday (October 23).
A further 18 departments, mostly situated in the south or east of France are also facing tier-two yellow warnings for a number of issues including storms and strong winds.
Departments hit hard by the épisode cévenol storms last week are also facing warnings for river flooding, after extended rainfall has led to burst banks.
Most warnings will disappear by midnight, with tomorrow set to be calm. Only a couple of departments are expected to face any alert.
Despite the intense rainfall across much of the country, relatively little rain has reached France’s water tables, with most departments still facing water restrictions.
Flood warnings for Rhône tributaries
The departments already facing tier-three warnings for heavy rain yesterday – Jura, Ardèche, Drôme, Ain and Isère – have retained their heightened warnings from yesterday, after heavy overnight rain.
Ardèche is also on a tier-three orange alert for river flooding, notably from tributaries of the Rhône including the Cance, Doux, Ay, Ouvèze, and Eyrieux, as well as from the Ardèche river itself.
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Four other departments in the south are also facing warnings over river flooding
More information on this can be found on the official Vigicrues website.
Rain closes major road
Alpes-Maritimes saw its warning for heavy rains increased overnight, as another set of storms lashed coastal areas.
Up to 80 mm of rain is set to fall by midday in the department – with this amount already being recorded in Toulon, Var, by 09:00, which itself is on a tier-two warning.
The A8 motorway in Nice was closed due to the weather, and public transport services in the city were temporarily halted due to the rain.
You can watch clips of the damage caused by last week’s storm Aline in the department below.
A map of weather warnings accurate to 09:00 can be found below, and you can also keep up to date with information on the official Météo France website.
Photo credit: Météo France
Currently, only two departments – Gironde and Charente-Maritime, both on the Atlantic coast – are facing tier-two weather warnings tomorrow, for stormy weather, heavy rain, and strong winds.
Are rains helping end drought?
Heavy rain has hit most of France in the previous couple of weeks, and even in areas where no heightened alerts have been put in place, rainfall has surpassed usual October averages.
This has subsequently led to the end of ‘surface droughts’ across most of the country (with the exception of a few areas in the south of France and Corsica), with soils no longer dry.
The re-moisturising of soils is the first step towards replenishing groundwater levels during the typical rainy seasons.
Future rainfalls will be able to penetrate the soil much easier, and refill underground reservoirs.
France’s Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (Office of Geological and Mineral research, or BRGM) publishes monthly updates on groundwater levels in France.
Its most recent publication covers the situation up to the end of September 2023, with 66% of groundwater levels still below average levels at that time.
It is expected that the delay to October’s typical rainfall will mean a significant replenishment of underground reservoirs will not be seen until November.
Early predictions by La Chaîne Météo however estimate that November and December could be drier than usual, shortening the window for reservoir levels to refill and leaving all hopes pinned on an extremely wet spring preventing severe droughts next summer.
The delay to rainfall has seen many departments still facing water restrictions.
There are 78 departments currently facing restrictions in at least one commune, with 53 having at least one commune at a ‘crisis’ level.
You can check the restrictions in your commune using the VigiEau website.
