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WEATHER

IN IMAGES: South west France hit by hail, high winds and heavy rainfall… in July

The south west of France has been hit by some decidedly unseasonable weather, with an intense hailstorm, high winds and heavy rainfall battering the area on Monday.

Published: 9 July 2019 12:24 CEST
IN IMAGES: South west France hit by hail, high winds and heavy rainfall... in July
Illustration photo: AFP
It's not exactly the kind of weather you expect in early July. 
 
But on Monday, Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques – all in the south west – were hit by a dramatic, albeit brief, storm. 
 
The Pyrenees were particularly affected, with rainfall of 10-15mm in one hour, as well as hail in some places. 
 
 
 
 
Meanwhile in Foix in the Ariège department in the southern Occitanie region, there was a 'mini-tornado', with heavy hailstorms and gusts of up to 107 km/h west of the town.
 
The hailstorm hit between 4pm and 4:05pm.
 
 
 
 
 
The firefighters had to intervene in 12 incidents, including tree falls, electrical cables on roads and flooded cellars.
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Power cut
 
In the Ariège department, firefighters intervened to cover some roofs.
 
Energy provider Enedis said that 800 homes had been deprived of electricity “in the eastern areas of Pau and north of Tarbes”.
 
In the Landes, the “violent storm” hit the south of Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse and east of Villeneuve-de-Marsan, at around 10pm on Monday night, according to Enedis.
 
Orange storm warnings – the second highest level – had been put in place in the area on Monday but have since been lifted. 

Member comments

  1. Frankly, those are not large hail stones. While the record is around 200mm, one can easily get golf ball size, just over 40mm, leading to hail-damaged cars which can be very cheap as people are so precious about the look of their car! But check that your insurer will insure it before you buy it.

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WEATHER

South west France on red alert for flooding

Five areas in south west France have been placed on a red weather alert for flooding as storms lash the region.

Published: 10 January 2022 11:21 CET
South west France on red alert for flooding
Storms are moving in to south west France over the Pyrenees. Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP

Météo France has placed five départements in south west France – Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne and Ariège – on a red weather alert for heavy rains and flooding.

Extremely heavy rainstorms have hit the area, with a band of storm clouds travelling along the Pyrenees, bringing the risk of avalanches in the mountains and flooding in lowland areas.

The neighbouring département of Pyrénées-Orientale is on orange alert, along with the principality of Andorra. In the north, Aisne is also on orange alert for heavy rain.

Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout Monday, gradually easing off towards the evening, although the flood alerts remain in place until Tuesday. 

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