After the passage of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Landes in red for flood risks, Météo-France placed the Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Pyrénées-Atlantiques on Sunday evening in maximum rain-flood vigilance.
Four other departments are also on orange alert: the Gers, the North and the Aisne for flood risks, and the Pyrénées-Orientales for avalanches, according to the latest weather report.
The Pyrenean principality of Andorra has also been placed in orange avalanche vigilance.
“Due to bad weather conditions and the state of the roads”, traffic on the RN 320 and the RN 22, allowing to reach Andorra, “was prohibited to all vehicles”, announced in a joint statement the prefectures of Pyrénées-Orientales and Ariège.
The pluvio-snow episode intensified on Sunday evening, with moderate activity sometimes quite strong (rainfall intensities between 3 to 7 mm / h), and a rain-snow limit at an altitude of 1,000 m at the start of the night on the Ariège, and above 2,000m in the departments further west, underlines Météo-France.
“The precipitation will strengthen in the coming hours and persist overnight with rainfall intensities of 10 mm / h or more”, adds the organization.
The episode should continue until Monday evening with a drop in rainfall intensities then, slower on the east of the chain. It should end on Tuesday morning.
In the Pyrenees, “the main risk will be below 2,000 to 2,200m above sea level where the avalanche activity of wet snow will spread from west to east”, indicates Météo France.
The medium mountain road sectors (above about 1500m) will be affected by numerous slopes, and locally by a very large avalanche in corridors where snow has accumulated during the day on Sunday.
Above 2,200 m, avalanche activity will increase with the accumulation of snow and the overload caused by the heavier snow. “Large spontaneous avalanches may occur in the usual corridors and threaten the infrastructure of high mountain resorts”, continues the bulletin.
According to the Vigicrues monitoring network, a “major flood” of the Gave d’Oloron, classified as red vigilance, is expected from the middle of the night in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and downstream, in the Landes, and should exceed its level. last December.
In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, school transport to schools and colleges in the Aspe and Ossau valleys, and to high schools in Pau, Mauléon and Oloron-Sainte-Marie from these areas, will be canceled on Monday, a indicated the prefecture on Sunday evening. This “advises” parents to take their children to school and calls for “limiting” travel “to the strict minimum” in these valleys.
Train traffic between Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Bedous will be suspended on Monday, added the prefecture.