South-west France on weather alert after heavy flooding
Five départements in south-west France - Charente-Maritime, Charente, Dordogne, Corrèze, and Gironde - were on Tuesday placed on France's 'orange' weather warning, which is the
second highest alert
, for flooding.
According to the government flood alert service, Vigicrues, as of Tuesday, the primary rivers concerned by flooding were the Dronne, Isle and Vézère. You can keep up with the latest on the
Vigicrues website
.
Vigicrues noted that the areas affected along the Dronne river are those in the départements of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Gironde and Haute-Vienne.
Advertisement
As for the Isle river, the Dordogne and Gironde départements are concerned, while the Vézere river could cause more flooding in the Corrèze et Dordogne départements.
Map of flood zones, as of Tuesday (April 22). Credit: Vigicrues.
Vigicrues noted that "flood peaks have been reached on all 'upstream' rivers under the orange alert, with water levels beginning to recede.
"However, the flood is spreading to the lower Isle, where water levels are rising. On the lower Dronne, levels will continue rising today in the Coutras area (in the Gironde département)." As such, it is possible for more flooding to continue throughout the day on Tuesday.
The flooding began over the weekend, after the region experienced rain and thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday, leading flooding along the Seugne, Vézère, Dronne, Isle and Auvézere rivers.
Bordeaux saw record rainfall on Saturday, with 42.7mm of rain dumped on the city in just 24 hours on Saturday, regional newspaper
Sud Ouest
reported.
Meanwhile, eight campsites in the Dordogne département had to be evacuated, according to
Franceinfo
.
The Isle river, passing through Périgueux, reached a peak of 3.43m on Monday to Tuesday night, breaking the previous record of 3.37m from 1993.
Franceinfo
reported that since Sunday, there have been 138 evacuations in Dordogne.
This photograph shows restaurants closed following the overflowing of "la Vezere" river in Montignac-Lascaux, south-western France, on April 21, 2025. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP)
What about travel disruption?
Several roads were closed over the weekend, and many remained blocked off on Tuesday morning.
France Bleu
reported that 'départemental' roads in the Gironde département, like RD 255 and RD 136, in the upper Gironde area near Braud-et-Saint-Louis were closed.
Advertisement
The RD 254toward Anglad and Eyrans was also closed, with a diversion set up. In the Libourne area, the RD247E3 and RD247 were cloesd, as was the RD120 in Savignac-sur-Isle.
These roads may reopen on Tuesday, you can pay attention to the website
Gironde.fr
for more updates.
In Dordogne, local authorities have warned residents located near the Isle river to stay indoors and limit travel, with 13 départemental roads still closed.
After several road accidents over the weekend, local authorities have continued to warn motorists to drive cautiously and pay attention to road signage, especially if it is indicating a section of the road is closed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
20-05-2025
- Local France
Violent storms halt train services in south-west France
Intense thunderstorms and hail hit parts of south-west France on Monday evening, with over 100mm of rainfall - the equivalent of a month and a half of rain in six hours - recorded in Montauban, according to Franceinfo . The storms caused flooding, downed trees, and resulted in travel chaos. One TGV train from Paris to Toulouse was stranded on the flooded tracks for over three hours, with hundreds of passengers eventually evacuated at 11pm. While the area was no longer on any weather warning on Tuesday morning, knock-on effects were still visible. Travel disruption The French press reported that trains will not run between Bordeaux and Toulouse on Tuesday, and potentially not for several days. This means that the Paris to Toulouse line will also be closed until further notice. If you are concerned that your travel plans might be affected, check the status of your train on the SNCF website. Advertisement The regional Intercités line between Bordeaux and Marseille was also closed, Franceinfo reported. Local TER services were suspended 'for several days' between Marmande and Agen, and then between Agen and Montauban (until at least Tuesday early afternoon). Meanwhile, bus services were also affected. Local authorities in the Tarn-et-Garonne département suspended all regional 'Lio' bus lines on Tuesday. Some roads were flooded and closed, like the RD 49 in the Lavaur-Fiac area (in Tarn). Schools in certain areas were also expected to remain closed on Tuesday due to weather damage, such as the collège in Fousseret (Pins-Justaret), as well as primary and maternelle (nursery) schools in Lacroix-Falgarde in Lauragais. In the Tarn département, firefighters reported receiving over 300 calls and carried out around 60 interventions, including rescuing a person who had walked onto a flooded road. As of Tuesday morning, no injuries or deaths had been reported. ⛈️ Un déluge de pluie et de grêle s'abat sur Lautrec dans le Tarn, au passage d'un orage de nature supercellulaire ! (© Lautrec Tourisme) — Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) May 19, 2025 ⛈️ Un orage supercellulaire produit de fortes chutes de grêle dans le département du Tarn, ici sur la commune de Puylaurens. (© Isabelle Stefani) — Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) May 19, 2025
Local France
22-04-2025
- Local France
South-west France on weather alert after heavy flooding
Five départements in south-west France - Charente-Maritime, Charente, Dordogne, Corrèze, and Gironde - were on Tuesday placed on France's 'orange' weather warning, which is the second highest alert , for flooding. According to the government flood alert service, Vigicrues, as of Tuesday, the primary rivers concerned by flooding were the Dronne, Isle and Vézère. You can keep up with the latest on the Vigicrues website . Vigicrues noted that the areas affected along the Dronne river are those in the départements of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Gironde and Haute-Vienne. Advertisement As for the Isle river, the Dordogne and Gironde départements are concerned, while the Vézere river could cause more flooding in the Corrèze et Dordogne départements. Map of flood zones, as of Tuesday (April 22). Credit: Vigicrues. Vigicrues noted that "flood peaks have been reached on all 'upstream' rivers under the orange alert, with water levels beginning to recede. "However, the flood is spreading to the lower Isle, where water levels are rising. On the lower Dronne, levels will continue rising today in the Coutras area (in the Gironde département)." As such, it is possible for more flooding to continue throughout the day on Tuesday. The flooding began over the weekend, after the region experienced rain and thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday, leading flooding along the Seugne, Vézère, Dronne, Isle and Auvézere rivers. Bordeaux saw record rainfall on Saturday, with 42.7mm of rain dumped on the city in just 24 hours on Saturday, regional newspaper Sud Ouest reported. Meanwhile, eight campsites in the Dordogne département had to be evacuated, according to Franceinfo . The Isle river, passing through Périgueux, reached a peak of 3.43m on Monday to Tuesday night, breaking the previous record of 3.37m from 1993. Franceinfo reported that since Sunday, there have been 138 evacuations in Dordogne. This photograph shows restaurants closed following the overflowing of "la Vezere" river in Montignac-Lascaux, south-western France, on April 21, 2025. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP) What about travel disruption? Several roads were closed over the weekend, and many remained blocked off on Tuesday morning. France Bleu reported that 'départemental' roads in the Gironde département, like RD 255 and RD 136, in the upper Gironde area near Braud-et-Saint-Louis were closed. Advertisement The RD 254toward Anglad and Eyrans was also closed, with a diversion set up. In the Libourne area, the RD247E3 and RD247 were cloesd, as was the RD120 in Savignac-sur-Isle. These roads may reopen on Tuesday, you can pay attention to the website for more updates. In Dordogne, local authorities have warned residents located near the Isle river to stay indoors and limit travel, with 13 départemental roads still closed. After several road accidents over the weekend, local authorities have continued to warn motorists to drive cautiously and pay attention to road signage, especially if it is indicating a section of the road is closed.
Local France
18-04-2025
- Local France
LATEST: French Alps on avalanche warning after snow wreaks havoc
After heavy snowfall on Thursday, France's national weather service Météo-France issued an orange alert for avalanches in the Savoie départment for Friday. The orange alert is its second highest warning level, indicating that anyone in the area should be 'very vigilant', stay informed of developments and follow safety advice issued by public authorities. READ MORE: Explained: How France's weather warning system works "The large quantities of recent snow will start to melt as temperatures rise and the sun returns during the day on Friday. "Avalanche activity will be much lower than on Thursday, but major avalanches are still possible as the recent snow moistens during the day. Locally, these avalanches could reach infrastructures or roads that are usually exposed," the forecaster said. The twin warnings came after more than a metre of snow fell in a few hours in the Alps on Thursday, as a spring storm left at least one dead and caused widespread chaos and road closures . As of Friday morning, all departmental roads in Savoie had been reopened, with the exception of the Arvan tunnel. In the French resort of Val Thorens, a woman suffered cardiac arrest after being buried in an avalanche, authorities said, while several French ski resorts were closed – including Tignes – were closed. The popular ski resort's mayor, Serge Revial, told Franceinfo on Friday that, 'the situation is slowly returning to normal', the morning after residents and visitors were confined to their homes and hotels because of heavy snowfall and risk of avalanches – with restrictions in place 'until further notice'. Thursday's lockdown had applied to 'all neighborhoods, villages, and hamlets in Tignes. Travel within the same neighborhood is only permitted between 3pm and 8pm,' according to the resort's website. 'The snow and precipitation conditions were very intense and complicated, and that's why we took a drastic decision to protect the safety of our fellow citizens,' Revial said. What about skiing on Friday? He added that the ski area 'will be partially reopened' on Friday morning, but that 'under no circumstances should one go off-piste,' because of the risk of avalanches. READ MORE: Is skiing in France becoming more dangerous? 'With what fell on the previous snow cover, it is very dangerous, and we urge the utmost caution. You must stay on the open slopes," Revial said. Corentin Hassmann, commander of the Savoie high mountain gendarmerie platoon, explained to Franceinfo that "the sun will heat up the snow and make it heavier". Advertisement Hassman echoed Revial's warning about the dangers, despite the return of more pleasant conditions. 'Mountain enthusiasts will have to be extra vigilant,' he said, and urged skiers and residents to '[stay] in secure areas' and heed the advice of officials. The avalanche risk remains 'high' at all altitudes, he added, which he said was 'surprising at this time of year'. Huge volumes of snow A number of ski resorts – in Switzerland and Italy, as well as France – were closed because of the snow storm, while rail services were cancelled, roads cut off and schools closed. In Italy, two people were still missing as of Friday morning. Although snow in April is not rare, the amount that has fallen took authorities and residents by surprise. 'Cars are covered up to the roof... Just walking outside is worrying,' Mathis, a hotel employee in Tignes who declined to give his full name, told AFP. 'In such a short time, this is an enormous amount,' said Yann Geaudry, a retired cross-country ski instructor in the French village of Termignon, worried about the risk of floods when the snow melts in the spring sunshine. Heavy trucks were banned from using the main Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy. Advertisement Trains were also affected, and at one point more than 3,300 French homes were without power, according to authorities in the Savoie. 'It's truly exceptional,' said Didier Beauchet, a retiree who has lived in Lanslebourg for 40 years. 'I must have seen that only five times,' he told AFP, as motorists around him worked to free their snow-covered cars.
