Météo-France has issued a new watch for risks of storms, rain and floods for Thursday, October 17, placing thirteen southern and central departments in orange, which will cause the closure of educational establishments, especially in the Alpes-Maritimes.
As a precaution, in this Southeastern department, all establishments that welcome young people, from daycare centers to secondary schools, will remain closed on Thursday, as already happened on October 8, the prefect announced. In Nice, parks will be closed and the city has taken measures to house the homeless. In Gard, school transportation is canceled in the northern half of the territory. In Lozère, school transport is suspended in the southeast of the department.
This “intense storm episode (…) “It requires special monitoring due to its intensity and duration” with “Uncertainties about the location of the strongest storms and heaviest rainfall”writes the organization in its 10:00 p.m. bulletin.
Train traffic is completely disrupted
Gard, Lozère and Ardèche, the last three departments that remain on orange alert for flooding late Wednesday afternoon, will be joined on Thursday by the Alpes-Maritimes, Aveyron, Corrèze, Lot, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Tarn, Loire and Haut Loire. Ardèche, Lozère and Gard will also remain on an orange flood alert, along with Aveyron, while significant storm activity is expected in Lozère, Tarn, Alpes-Maritimes, Aude, Gard, Hérault and Aveyron.
The current Cévennes episode offers “Significant accumulations of rain, mainly in the Ardèche terrain and extending towards the east of the Haute-Loire and the south of the Loire”according to Météo-France. In the relief of the Cévennes and Vivarais, accumulations reach 200 to 300 millimeters since the beginning of the episode, occasionally up to 350 to 400 millimeters in the Lozère Cévennes and 450 to 500 millimeters in the Ardèche mountains.
On Wednesday morning, the SNCF decided to completely interrupt rail traffic between Alès (Gard) and Langogne (Lozère) until Friday morning. “for the safety of travelers and in order to avoid any incident”.
In the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, rainfall began on Wednesday night and could cause significant accumulations in the Basque mountains. In the Alpes-Maritimes, rain is expected from Thursday midday, with a break overnight from Thursday to Friday. Finally, in Corrèze, Lot, Tarn and Aveyron, precipitation is expected from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning with possible peaks of about 100 millimeters towards Lot and west of Aveyron.
