Météo France on Saturday placed five departments in the southwest of France in orange alert. Thunderstorms, heavy precipitation and thunderstorms are forecast for the end of the weekend. 

Five departments of the Southwest, in New Aquitaine and Occitania, were placed on Saturday by Météo-France in orange alert due to heavy precipitation, sometimes "exceptional", expected Sunday. 

The orange “rain-floods” alert issued at 4 p.m. concerns Gironde, Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques in New Aquitaine and Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées, in the Occitanie region. The alert is valid from Sunday 2 p.m. to Monday 7 a.m.

>> READ ALSO - LIVE - Coronavirus: a new source of contamination identified in the Dordogne

Some thunderstorms "with a locally strong character" are already expected on Saturday afternoon, "well before the rain-storm degradation expected for the end of the weekend". 

Heavy precipitation expected Sunday and Monday

Thus "between Sunday afternoon and Monday noon, the periods of heavy precipitation are linked together, giving significant, even sometimes exceptional, cumulations (...) The quantities forecast in 48 hours could thus be close to the centennial values", a explained the weather operator in his vigilance bulletin.

A depression will cross the south of France between Sunday and Monday with heavy #stormy locally rainy, sometimes the equivalent of 1 to 2 months of precipitation in 48 hours in #Aquitaine! Sudden drop in temperatures on Monday. Stay informed on ▶ ️https: //t.co/KA0Ij27Eeapic.twitter.com/K4EU14dGdG

- VigiWeatherFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) May 9, 2020

Météo France forecasts precipitation of 50 to 100 mm per hour almost generalized on the departments placed in orange vigilance.

"From the Piedmont Basque / Bigorre to Armagnac and the Arcachon Basin, it is even possible that we can locally reach 100 to 160 mm (ie 1 to 2 months of precipitation) in less than 36 hours, which corresponds to return times sometimes around 100 years, "said Météo-France.