LATEST: Parts of western France remain on highest alert amid historic floods
Following devastating flooding due to storm Herminia, weather alerts remained in place in seven départements of western France on Tuesday morning.
Three départements - Morbihan, Loire-Atlantique and Ille-et-Vilaine - were still on 'red warning' (the highest level) of weather alert, while four others - Calvados, Orne, Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire - were on the second-highest level of alert (orange), due to continued risk of flooding.
Forecasters have indicated that the 'red' weather alerts will remain in place until at least Wednesday.
The areas at most at risk of flooding, according to French national weather service Météo France, are those around the Seiche and Vilaine rivers in the départements of Mayenne and Ille et villaine
#VigilanceRouge crues de la #Vilaine médiane (dép 35) et aval (dép. 35, 44, 56) et de la #Seiche (dép 35). #VigilanceOrange crues des cours d'eau : #Oust, #Vilaine amont, #Oudon, #Orne, #Meu.
Restez informés sur l'application #Vigicrues pic.twitter.com/mKWdmE2QB8
— Vigicrues (@Vigicrues) January 28, 2025
So far, there have been no casualties reported in the city of Rennes that was hit by severe flooding over the weekend, nor in the hard-hit Ille-et-Vilaine département, French daily Le Parisien reported.
What about travel conditions?
As of Tuesday morning, train traffic between Le Mans and Angers was 'severely disrupted', regional newspaper Ouest France reported.
Meanwhile, the Fougeray Langon station in Ille-et-Vilaine is closed due to weather conditions, French national rail service SNCF announced on their website.
Otherwise, rail travel was expected to return to normal, SNCF Réseau told BFMTV on Monday. That said, you should still check the status of your train before heading to the station.
People travelling in the area should also keep an an eye on the Ille-et-Vilaine préfecture website for updates and travel recommendations, as several roads have also been cut off and public transport services are suspended in some areas.
Do not attempt to drive through a submerged road.
What is the weather outlook?
More rain is expected throughout Tuesday and on Wednesday in western France, and parts of western France (mainly Finistère) are forecast to have high winds (up to 130km) on Tuesday.
They also noted in the Tuesday morning bulletin that water levels along the Seiche and parts of the Vilaine (the médiane) would "stabilise and will fall slightly" at the end of the day.
However, along other parts of the Vilaine (the 'aval'), "given the spread of the flooding, exceptional levels are expected from the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in the Redon area".
"In Normandy and the Pays de la Loire, the flooding around the Orne and Oudon is spreading, but no significant worsening is expected in these areas," the forecasters warned.
You can stay updated on the status of nearby rivers by going to the vigicrues.gouv.fr website.
The flooding experienced in Rennes over the weekend is the worst since the city's historic floods of 1981, said local authorities.
Inondations à Rennes. pic.twitter.com/SoFxI15T7d
— Solenne Durox (@SolenneDurox) January 26, 2025
Away from western France, an orange alert was issued for avalanches in the Champsaur and Pelvoux massifs, after rainfall. Météo France said the risk of avalanches would decrease as precipitation ends on Tuesday morning.
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