Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Snow and high winds forecast as Storm Diego hits France

High winds, heavy rain and snow in some areas are forecast for Friday as Storm Diego hits France.

Published: 7 April 2022 10:22 CEST
Snow and high winds forecast as Storm Diego hits France
Illustration photo by Fred TANNEAU / AFP

High winds are forecast to begin on Thursday, with Météo France placing the north of France, plus the island of Corsica, on a yellow warning for high winds.

Map: Meteo France

Winds of up to 80km/h are forecast on Thursday, with the weather turning more severe on Friday when Storm Diego is forecast to hit northern and central France. 

“On Friday, an active disturbance will cross the northern half of the country and will produce stormy winds. It will be accompanied by sustained rainfall from Brittany to the Vosges, adding to the heavy rainfall of the previous day,” warned Météo France.

Winds will rise to around 100 km/h an hour, with the worst affected areas central and south-west France.

In higher areas, the rain may fall as snow – “a brief episode of snow on the plain, from Haute-Normandie to the Ardennes is expected” added Météo France. 

Member comments

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

ENVIRONMENT

VIDEO: ‘Lost’ Orca whale heading up France’s Seine river

A young Orca whale that is apparently lost has been spotted heading up the Seine in northern France.

Published: 25 May 2022 11:05 CEST
Updated: 25 May 2022 13:24 CEST
VIDEO: 'Lost' Orca whale heading up France's Seine river

The young whale was first spotted about a week ago near the port of Le Havre, around the Pont de Normandie, while the most recent sighting was further inland – about 20km from Rouen, in the Eure region.

France’s BFMTV managed to catch a video of the whale:

Experts think that the young male was separated from his group, and might be on the search for another. This typically happens when a matriarch in the pod dies.

“They are very social animals, so it is not easy for them to be alone,” explained Delphine Eloi of the GECC regional, cetacean protection group to RTL. Eloi went on to explain that the orca is likely in poor health, as its dorsal fin appears to be completely round. 

Killer whales, which despite their name belong to the dolphin family, are occasionally spotted in the English Channel but such sightings are considered rare, let alone in a river.

“Its life is in danger. We are really very, very worried. Its state of health is very poor,” said Gerard Mauger, vice president of the GECC regional, cetacean protection group. 

“The more it stays in fresh water, the more this will accelerate the degradation of its state of health,” he told AFP.

“It is far from the sea. It is really complicated to find solutions to encourage it to head to salt water.”

He said the animal is “very thin” but likely weighs over a tonne.

Experts have reminded the public that the whale is likely not dangerous to people – there has never been a reported Orca attack on a human in the wild – though it is still advisable to keep a safe distance from it.

SHOW COMMENTS