Météo France has placed the Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques on red vigilance for flooding, according to a press release published at 4 p.m. this Sunday. Andorra as well as seven departments have been placed in orange vigilance. These are Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Pyrénées-Orientales, North and Aisne. Some are used for floods, rain-floods or avalanches.
The Gave d’Oloron, which flows from the Pyrenees in the two departments, was placed in red vigilance and could experience “very significant overflows” from Monday morning, said Vigicrues in his last bulletin. In its bulletin published this morning, forecasters feared an “episode of heavy precipitation remarkable for its duration and the expected quantities”. The precipitation could cause flooding, unusual flooding of streams and ditches and an overflow of sewerage networks, while last December, rains and snowmelt had already caused significant flooding in Laruns, in the valley of ‘Ossau (Pyrénées-Atlantique).
Road traffic conditions can be made difficult on the entire secondary network and some disturbances can affect rail transport outside the “mainline” network. Power cuts can also occur.
The episode will continue like this until Monday afternoon. Subsequently, the trend will be downward in rainfall intensity, except on the east of the range. The rainy episode should not end until Tuesday during the day. The accumulations of precipitation will become significant over all the Pyrenean departments. On the episode (in 48 hours between Sunday and Monday), we expect accumulations of the order of 40 to 80 mm in the plain, 100 to 130 mm in the foothills, 150 to 200 mm in the mountains, locally 250 mm. A passage also in Orange crues in Ariège (09) and Haute-Garonne (31) was declared by Vigie Crues. Orange Avalanches vigilance is also underway for all Pyrenean departments.
Winds and risk of flooding until Monday
In other departments too, the situation is complicated this Sunday as in the North and the Aisne.
The precipitation will also affect Normandy, the Pays-de-la-Loire, up to the Massif Central as well as the South-West and will increase in the Pyrenean departments, requiring Orange, rain-flood and Orange Flood vigilance. In addition, the wind will blow like a storm on the peaks of the Pyrenees between 110 and 130 km / h. Rainfall will continue to be very marked over the Pyrenean departments, as far as the Aude. It will snow quite high in altitude, around 2000 m then, in the evening, 1700 m, even a little lower in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
From Brittany and Normandy to Aquitaine, the sky will often be overcast with sometimes rain. Showers will hit the Massif Central again in the morning, with some snow still above 700 m, then the risk will disappear in the afternoon.