South and east of France on weather alert for storms and flooding
Large parts of the south and east of France were placed on weather warnings on Tuesday due to Storm Fien which is expected to bring high winds, heavy rain and the possibility of coastal flooding.
17 French départments were placed on "orange" alert on Tuesday morning by the weather Météo France, the country's meteorological service, for high winds, heavy rain and possible coastal flooding.
Map showing the weather warnings (including offshore areas in the south west, Riviera and Corsica) from Météo France
Heavy winds
In the southwest, the départements of Landes, Gers, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrenees were put on "orange" warning due to strong winds, after Storm Fien brought gusts of up to 137 km per hour in Socoa (Ciboure), in Pyrenees-Atlantiques.
Au passage de la #tempêteFien, un fort coup de vent balaie la côte basque ce matin avec des rafales qui dépassent les 100 km/h. pic.twitter.com/YeHXmhZjcL
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) January 17, 2023
The storm has also brought heavy rainfall, with at least 30 to 40 mm recorded since Monday evening in the Landes and Pyrenees-Atlantiques départements.
The island of Corsica is also on "orange" alert due to the potential for heavy rain and flooding.
After large gusts of wind impacted much of France's northwest on Monday due to the low-pressure system "Gérard," no parts of Brittany or Normandy were placed on the orange alert on Tuesday, though forecasters at Météo France expect to see some small snowfall during the night in parts of Normandy, Ile-de-France and Grand Est.
Flood waves
Certain départements were placed on the alert due to flood waves, called "vagues submersion" in French.
These were Haute-Corse, Corse-du-Sud, and the Var. You can see a map of those areas below:
A screenshot from Météo France for Tuesday, January 17th (Credit: The Local)
Snow and Ice
An additional 10 French départements were put on the orange alert due to snow and ice. Thesse were Aube, Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Yonne, Cantal, Lozère, Ain, Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Isère.
Forecasters told Le Parisien that they expected to see accumulations of up to 30 cm in the Massif Central. As for the Northern Alps, they predicted that snow will also fall at "very low altitudes."
In north east France, forecasters expect to see about five to 10 cm of snowfall through the night on Tuesday.
See Also
17 French départments were placed on "orange" alert on Tuesday morning by the weather Météo France, the country's meteorological service, for high winds, heavy rain and possible coastal flooding.
Heavy winds
In the southwest, the départements of Landes, Gers, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrenees were put on "orange" warning due to strong winds, after Storm Fien brought gusts of up to 137 km per hour in Socoa (Ciboure), in Pyrenees-Atlantiques.
Au passage de la #tempêteFien, un fort coup de vent balaie la côte basque ce matin avec des rafales qui dépassent les 100 km/h. pic.twitter.com/YeHXmhZjcL
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) January 17, 2023
The storm has also brought heavy rainfall, with at least 30 to 40 mm recorded since Monday evening in the Landes and Pyrenees-Atlantiques départements.
The island of Corsica is also on "orange" alert due to the potential for heavy rain and flooding.
After large gusts of wind impacted much of France's northwest on Monday due to the low-pressure system "Gérard," no parts of Brittany or Normandy were placed on the orange alert on Tuesday, though forecasters at Météo France expect to see some small snowfall during the night in parts of Normandy, Ile-de-France and Grand Est.
Flood waves
Certain départements were placed on the alert due to flood waves, called "vagues submersion" in French.
These were Haute-Corse, Corse-du-Sud, and the Var. You can see a map of those areas below:
Snow and Ice
An additional 10 French départements were put on the orange alert due to snow and ice. Thesse were Aube, Côte-d'Or, Haute-Marne, Yonne, Cantal, Lozère, Ain, Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Isère.
Forecasters told Le Parisien that they expected to see accumulations of up to 30 cm in the Massif Central. As for the Northern Alps, they predicted that snow will also fall at "very low altitudes."
In north east France, forecasters expect to see about five to 10 cm of snowfall through the night on Tuesday.
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