19-03-2025
South-west France on alert with winds of up to 120km/h forecast
Parts of the France's southern Occitanie region have already seen an uptick in windspeeds, as the second 'Autan Noir' of the month batters the area.
The 'Autan Noir' - a weather episode bringing high winds - is common to south-west France.
As of Wednesday,
France's national weather service
Météo France
had placed
four south-western départements (Aveyron, Tarn, Haute-Garonne and Aude) on the lowest-level of warning (yellow) for high winds, with gusts expected to reach 85km/h.
The gales were expected to pick up from Thursday, and
Météo France
issued orange weather warnings – the
second-highest alert
level – for the Haute-Garonne and Tarn départements. This alert was set to come into effect on Thursday evening (starting at 9pm) and last into Friday.
Meanwhile, five neighbouring départements (Aveyron, Aude, Ariège, Hautes-Pyrénées, and Pyrénées Atlantiques) were set to stay on the yellow warning on Thursday.
Winds are forecast to reach 100km/h to 110km/h in certain areas, and even 120 km/h at the foot of the Montagne Noire, in the Lauragais and Castres regions.
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Gusts of up to 100km/h are also expected at the edge of the Toulouse metropolitan area.
The Autan Noir is often a precursor to rains and storms in southwest France. One deadly storm has already wreaked havoc in Spain. Torrential rains, particularly in the south of the country, led to significant flooding.
Meanwhile, Storm Martinho is expected to reach France on Friday, bringing rain and thunderstorms from the west.
