Europe 1 with AFP 1:50 p.m., March 9, 2024

Lozère is placed on orange alert for rain-flooding this Saturday afternoon.

The department joins Ardèche, Alpes-Maritimes and Var, also on orange alert for rain-flooding.

Ardèche, Gard and Var also went into orange vigilance for floods on Saturday and the Alpes-Maritimes into orange vigilance for avalanches.

New departments were placed on orange vigilance by Météo-France on Saturday, while a large south-eastern quarter of the country is expected to experience a marked Mediterranean episode, according to the public establishment.

A fourth department, Lozère, was placed on orange alert for rain-flooding from 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. 

On Friday, Météo-France had placed three departments on orange alert for rain-flooding due to this episode of heavy precipitation, Ardèche (from 4 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday) and the Alpes-Maritimes and Var (from 6 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday).

Ardèche, Gard and Var also went into orange vigilance for floods on Saturday and the Alpes-Maritimes into orange vigilance for avalanches (until Sunday 5:00 p.m.).

The departments of Loire and Haute-Loire will be on orange alert for wind.

Avoid moving or approaching watercourses

This episode, linked to depression Monica, will be marked by a strong southeast wind and especially by significant amounts of precipitation until the night from Saturday to Sunday.

It “follows a series of episodes which have saturated the soil in recent weeks (and) therefore requires particular vigilance”, underlines Météo-France.

The orange level is the third on a scale of four and calls on the public to be "very vigilant", due to "expected dangerous phenomena".

It is particularly recommended to avoid traveling or approaching watercourses.

“In the afternoon of Saturday, the rains will intensify in the Cévennes firstly and in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur secondly. This episode will end on Sunday morning,” writes Météo-France in its vigilance bulletin.

“The expected accumulations in the Ardèche Cévennes will be between 150 and 250 mm. In the East of the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, the accumulations will be between 100 and 120 mm, locally 150 mm,” adds the institute.

In the Alpes-Maritimes, for example, these “predicted accumulations may represent the equivalent of more than a month of precipitation” usual in March, Météo-France pointed out on Friday.

Furthermore, in the South-West, Charente-Maritime remains on orange alert for floods, a level at which Gironde was also placed on Saturday.