3 months' worth of rain falls over 48 hours in French city
By
Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 5, 2021 11:01 AM EST
|
Updated Oct 7, 2021 11:17 AM EST
In the French city of Marseille, in one night fell "the equivalent of several months of rain", up to 7 inches (180 mm) of water according to Météo-France.
Parts of southern France were left underwater to start the week after a robust storm unleashed several months' worth of rain in just two days across the region.
AccuWeather forecasters say torrential downpours targeted southern France Sunday and Monday. This triggered a deluge that led to significant travel disruptions, more than 1,000 emergency calls and at least one fatality, according to multiple news outlets in France.
Videos showed harrowing scenes of cars stuck in raging floodwaters while aerial images captured swollen rivers inching toward the top of a bridge around the port city of Marseille. Some residents around the area were forced to evacuate.
One person was killed on a highway in the Bouches-du-Rhône department when a truck and car collided during the adverse weather on Monday, according to La Provence.
The areas in the south of France that were in the bull's-eye for the worst impacts included the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Alpes-Maritimes. All three departments border the Mediterranean Sea.
Marseille, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, recorded about three months' worth of rainfall in just two days. According to Météo-France, the French meteorological service, Marseille received a staggering 7.64 inches (194 mm) of rain Sunday and Monday.
To put that number in perspective, the city typically records about 3.33 inches (85 mm) of rain on average for the entire month of October. According to AccuWeather forecasters, the combined average rainfall for the area for the three months from September to November is 7.58 inches (193 mm).
This amount of torrential rainfall in such a short period of time quickly overwhelmed nearby roadways, rivers and streams.
Dozens of road closures forced traffic to come to a grinding halt across portions of multiple departments as some roadways were rendered impassible. In addition to road traffic, all Transport Express Régional (TER) rail lines passing through Marseille were shut down Monday afternoon, stranding hundreds of passengers, according to BFM TV.
In the Bouches-du-Rhône department alone, 1,500 calls for help were relayed to the region's fire department, according to BFM TV. Of these calls, 610 rescues were carried out on Monday by the department's fire and rescue workers. No fatalities were reported.
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All schools in the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and Alpes-Maritimes were closed on Monday when the scope of flooding issues became clear. Multiple schools in Marseille remained closed on Tuesday as damage assessments continued, according to La Provence.
Even as floodwaters began to recede, many areas were left with what is likely to be a substantial cleanup period. Members of the Marseille firefighter battalion, the largest unit in the French Navy, were seen working to cleanse streets of a thick layer of mud left behind after floodwaters made roads unrecognizable.
The timing of the flooding rain could not have been worse for some portions of Marseille, with floodwaters arriving just days after local waste collectors ended a weeklong strike. According to EuroNews, there are fears that "catastrophic" waste can make its way into the ocean when floodwaters further recede.
The storm that unleashed torrential rainfall across the south of France early this week was fueled by a deep layer of moist air over the western Mediterranean Sea. Winds at the lower and middle levels of the atmosphere essentially directed this moisture right at the southern coast of France.
Drier weather is on the way, which should aid in cleanup efforts as floodwaters recede.
Through the upcoming weekend, largely dry weather is in store for Marseille and the surrounding area as high pressure settles into place, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman.
While the weather will remain largely dry, there is one thing that residents beginning to pick up the pieces left by the deluge will have to monitor.
"It was rather windy Wednesday and Wednesday night as a storm strengthened over Italy, but those winds should start to diminish on Thursday," Zartman cautioned.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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News / Severe Weather
3 months' worth of rain falls over 48 hours in French city
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 5, 2021 11:01 AM EST | Updated Oct 7, 2021 11:17 AM EST
In the French city of Marseille, in one night fell "the equivalent of several months of rain", up to 7 inches (180 mm) of water according to Météo-France.
Parts of southern France were left underwater to start the week after a robust storm unleashed several months' worth of rain in just two days across the region.
AccuWeather forecasters say torrential downpours targeted southern France Sunday and Monday. This triggered a deluge that led to significant travel disruptions, more than 1,000 emergency calls and at least one fatality, according to multiple news outlets in France.
Videos showed harrowing scenes of cars stuck in raging floodwaters while aerial images captured swollen rivers inching toward the top of a bridge around the port city of Marseille. Some residents around the area were forced to evacuate.
One person was killed on a highway in the Bouches-du-Rhône department when a truck and car collided during the adverse weather on Monday, according to La Provence.
A screen shot taken from video footage showing the swollen Huveaune River surging through Marseille, France, and nearly breaching a bridge.
The areas in the south of France that were in the bull's-eye for the worst impacts included the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Alpes-Maritimes. All three departments border the Mediterranean Sea.
Marseille, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, recorded about three months' worth of rainfall in just two days. According to Météo-France, the French meteorological service, Marseille received a staggering 7.64 inches (194 mm) of rain Sunday and Monday.
To put that number in perspective, the city typically records about 3.33 inches (85 mm) of rain on average for the entire month of October. According to AccuWeather forecasters, the combined average rainfall for the area for the three months from September to November is 7.58 inches (193 mm).
This amount of torrential rainfall in such a short period of time quickly overwhelmed nearby roadways, rivers and streams.
Dozens of road closures forced traffic to come to a grinding halt across portions of multiple departments as some roadways were rendered impassible. In addition to road traffic, all Transport Express Régional (TER) rail lines passing through Marseille were shut down Monday afternoon, stranding hundreds of passengers, according to BFM TV.
In the Bouches-du-Rhône department alone, 1,500 calls for help were relayed to the region's fire department, according to BFM TV. Of these calls, 610 rescues were carried out on Monday by the department's fire and rescue workers. No fatalities were reported.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
All schools in the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and Alpes-Maritimes were closed on Monday when the scope of flooding issues became clear. Multiple schools in Marseille remained closed on Tuesday as damage assessments continued, according to La Provence.
Even as floodwaters began to recede, many areas were left with what is likely to be a substantial cleanup period. Members of the Marseille firefighter battalion, the largest unit in the French Navy, were seen working to cleanse streets of a thick layer of mud left behind after floodwaters made roads unrecognizable.
The timing of the flooding rain could not have been worse for some portions of Marseille, with floodwaters arriving just days after local waste collectors ended a weeklong strike. According to EuroNews, there are fears that "catastrophic" waste can make its way into the ocean when floodwaters further recede.
The storm that unleashed torrential rainfall across the south of France early this week was fueled by a deep layer of moist air over the western Mediterranean Sea. Winds at the lower and middle levels of the atmosphere essentially directed this moisture right at the southern coast of France.
Drier weather is on the way, which should aid in cleanup efforts as floodwaters recede.
Through the upcoming weekend, largely dry weather is in store for Marseille and the surrounding area as high pressure settles into place, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman.
While the weather will remain largely dry, there is one thing that residents beginning to pick up the pieces left by the deluge will have to monitor.
"It was rather windy Wednesday and Wednesday night as a storm strengthened over Italy, but those winds should start to diminish on Thursday," Zartman cautioned.
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