Thursday night’s storm that hit southern France has left behind flooded homes and swollen rivers. The damage, however, was not as severe as anticipated, providing relief to some but raising questions about the reliability of the forecasting services used by authorities.
After days, if not weeks, of bad weather on the Riviera, the Alpes-Maritimes was placed on a red weather alert ahead of the incoming storm on Thursday 17th October. The Prefecture des Alpes-Maritimes had already decided to close schools and various public spaces that day – the second time in 10 days such extreme measures had been taken.
Many have since argued that the school closures may not have been entirely necessary. While parts of the department experienced heavy rain on and off throughout the day, it wasn’t until around 5pm that the storm intensified, with thunderstorms soon accompanying the deluge. The red alert took effect at 6pm and lasted until midnight.
Around 850 personnel from the department’s fire and rescue services worked through the night to ensure the safety of the Alpes-Maritimes population, assisting with precautionary evacuations and helping those whose homes were inundated by floodwaters.
Rainfall was considerably more intense in the more mountainous parts of the Alpes-Maritimes than along the coast. During the 72 hours of the storm, Caussols, northeast of Grasse, experienced as much as 331.6mm of rain, according to Météo Côte d’Azur, while Coursegoules recorded 260.3mm. The mayor in the latter called in emergency services after burst rivers threatened to swamp the village.
Mandelieu-La Napoule appears to have been the worst hit on the cast, with 190.9mm of rain.
To the east of the town, in Cannes, the rain was notably lighter, prompting local mayor David Lisnard to question whether France’s forecasting systems are up to par.
In comments made on social media, the mayor stated, “Ultimately, only 23 millimetres of rain fell over 10 hours [during the red alert]. On 23rd September, when we were under a yellow alert, over 50 millimetres fell in less than 25 minutes in République, flooding the area.”
He continued, “There seems to be confusion… Even though we all know that meteorology is never an exact science, it’s hard to understand how, in 2024, such a margin of error is possible in forecasts, the reliability of which is less than it was a few years ago. I will therefore request an audit of Météo-France to analyse the issue accurately and objectively, and to see if it is possible to organise a public policy on risk management with this agency. This succession of false alerts undermines all the work we have done for years to instil in Cannes residents this culture of risk, which is the primary form of protection against major risks.”
As of 5pm on Friday 18th October, several roads in the Alpes-Maritimes remained closed due to the floods and damage caused by the heavy rain. For the most up-to-date information, click here.
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