Four departments in southern France are on orange alert Sunday evening due to heavy rains and flood risks, with bad weather expected until Monday. In Aude, schools will be closed and evacuations ordered in Narbonne. Authorities urge utmost caution amid imminent river overflows.
Intense rainfall continues in Mediterranean regions, from Languedoc-Roussillon to eastern Corsica, with heavy showers expected Monday. Four departments – Aude, Hérault, and both in Corsica – are on orange alert for rain, floods, or rising waters since Sunday evening. Pyrénées-Orientales will escalate to this level at 6 a.m. Monday, after yellow alert.
In Aude, overflows from the Cesse river have led to the closure of all schools, from nursery to high school, on Monday, along with halted school transports. “The goal is to limit residents' movements as much as possible,” said Amélie Trioux, chief of staff to the Aude prefect, to AFP. An evacuation order was issued for Narbonne's Maraussan and la Mayolle neighborhoods, a city of nearly 60,000 residents near the Mediterranean. Ground-floor residents must head to the sports park or Narbonne Arena, while those with upstairs access can shelter there. Floods are deemed imminent.
In Hérault, officials fear over 250-300 mm of total rain by Sunday evening, with 36 firefighter and police interventions by mid-afternoon to rescue people on flooded roads. Aveyron has dropped to yellow alert. In Corsica, orange alert for rain and floods has been active since 10 a.m. Alpine, Pyrenean, and Corsican departments are on yellow for avalanches.
Monday will see sustained rains in these areas, abundant snow in the southern Alps and Pyrenees above 1,400 meters, and coastal winds up to 90 km/h. Temperatures will range from 0°C in the Alsace plains to 11°C near the Mediterranean.
