Strong winds and rainfall of up to 250mm in some areas have been forecast for this Friday, leading to rain and flood warnings being issued for much of the south of France. Here’s what Météo France has to say about the incoming bad weather. 

The rain is due to begin on Thursday 19th October, but significantly increase in intensity overnight and into the morning of Friday 20th October. The current forecast suggests that the rain will continue to fall heavily until around lunchtime, when the orange level alert for the Alpes-Maritimes will be downgraded to yellow, before returning to a safe green later in the afternoon.  

Although these conditions will primarily affect the Alpes-Maritimes and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, a similar orange alert has been issued for the entire coastline of the Riviera due to the risks of wave overwash and storm surges in low-lying areas on Friday 20th October. 

On Thursday 19th October, Météo France published a bulletin warning of an “episode of heavy rain in the Southern Alps, particularly in the Alpes-Maritimes… temporarily strong gusts of wind… [and] strong waves along the PACA coast and to the south of Corsica”.  

“This Friday, an intense rain-storm episode in the Southern Alps and the Alpes-Maritimes will require special monitoring due to the fragility of certain valleys,” explained the forecast. “In the Alpes-Maritimes, cumulative precipitation will reach 150 to 200mm over the duration of the episode, rising to 250mm at the highest elevations. The rains will be accompanied by a very strong southerly wind, which can reach 100kmph in gusts.” 

This incoming bout of bad weather is expected to clear somewhat for the weekend, ahead of another round of storms and rain next week.

To view the regularly updated Météo France storm forecast and alert bulletin, please click here. 

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Photo source: Daoudi Aissa, Unsplash