SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Flood warnings issued for central France

Six departments in the centre and east of France were placed on flood alert on Thursday with heavy rains and severe storms forecast for throughout the night.

Flood warnings issued for central France
Flood warnings have been issued for parts of central France. File Photo: Garden State Hiker

Residents in the Ain, Cote-d’Or, Isère, Loire, Rhône et Saône-et-Loire have been put on Orange alert – the second highest level of weather warning – by France’s meteorological service Metéo France.

On Thursday afternoon the service forecast heavy rain and localised storms that could cause flooding because of the already high water levels and saturation of the ground.

“Heavy rain and occasional storms are forecast for the Rhône Valley area overnight Thursday and into Friday,” a statement from Méteo France said.

It has issued warnings over flash floods as well likely heavy traffic on secondary roads as well as disruption to train services. It advises against people going out walking in areas affected by flooding.

The warnings come after a 9-year-old boy was swept away in a swollen river in the Drôme area of France on Thursday afternoon. A rescue operation is still underway to try to find him.

And on Wednesday evening part of a bridge collapsed over the Isere river due to heavy rains and increased water levels cause by snow melt.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WEATHER

Denmark records deepest snow level for 13 years

Blizzards in Denmark this week have resulted in the greatest depth of snow measured in the country for 13 years.

Denmark records deepest snow level for 13 years

A half-metre of snow, measured at Hald near East Jutland town Randers, is the deepest to have occurred in Denmark since January 2011, national meteorological agency DMI said.

The measurement was taken by the weather agency at 8am on Thursday.

Around 20-30 centimetres of snow was on the ground across most of northern and eastern Jutland by Thursday, as blizzards peaked resulting in significant disruptions to traffic and transport.

A much greater volume of snow fell in 2011, however, when over 100 centimetres fell on Baltic Sea island Bornholm during a post-Christmas blizzard, which saw as much as 135 centimetres on Bornholm at the end of December 2010.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s January storms could be fourth extreme weather event in three months

With snowfall at its heaviest for over a decade, Wednesday saw a new rainfall record. The 59 millimetres which fell at Svendborg on the island of Funen was the most for a January day in Denmark since 1886. Some 9 weather stations across Funen and Bornholm measured over 50cm of rain.

DMI said that the severe weather now looks to have peaked.

“We do not expect any more weather records to be set in the next 24 hours. But we are looking at some very cold upcoming days,” DMI meteorologist and press spokesperson Herdis Damberg told news wire Ritzau.

SHOW COMMENTS