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News / Severe Weather
2 months' worth of rain in a few hours devastates Corsica's capital city
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jun. 13, 2020 12:37 PM
A thunderstorm dropped more than an inch of rain in Ajaccio, Corsica, which flooded the streets of this French island in the Mediterranean Sea on June 11.
In just a few hours, nearly two months' worth of rain deluged portions of Ajaccio, the capital city of Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea, on Thursday.
Training thunderstorms, or storms that impact the same area repeatedly, formed over the city of Ajaccio, Corsica, late Thursday morning. According to Météo France, the French meteorological service, 44 mm (1.75 inches) of rain fell in just four hours at the Ajaccio reporting station. This rainfall amount is the equivalent of double the typical rainfall recorded for the entire month of June, according to Météo France.
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At the onset of heavy rain, flash flooding became an issue for the coastal city almost immediately. Roadways essentially became rivers while parked cars and large recycling bins alike were swept away during the torrential rains.
Firefighters in the area performed multiple rescue operations to secure residents stranded in their vehicles. Many of the rescues occurred on the Maréchal Juin and Noël Franchini avenues just north of downtown.
Due to the very localized nature of the heavy downpours from these training thunderstorms, some portions of Ajaccio received much more rain than the official reporting station. Portions of the city received up to 120 mm (4.75 inches) of rainfall during the event, according to Météo France.
According to France Bleu, the Course-Du-Sud operational intervention and rescue center that provides assistance to Ajaccio and much of eastern Corsica was "overflowing with calls" at midday.
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Much of the destruction from Thursday's storms occurred in the Petralba and Salini neighborhoods of Ajaccio. The full extent of damage from Thursday's flooding will not be truly known until floodwaters recede and crews can safely assess the impacts, but multiple businesses and homes were affected in the area.
Only one minor injury from flooding was reported by Thursday afternoon, and no fatalities had been reported, according to France Bleu.
Sunny and dry weather is forecast to return to the flood-ravaged area on Friday, which will help to aid recovery efforts.
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