Update: Heightened warnings in the Calvados department for river flooding have been extended to include Tuesday (May 14). The river Dives is primarily affected by the alerts.
Violent storms have left roads flooded and even cars submerged in water across much of northern France as the sunshine of the weekend disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.
Storms moving eastward from the English Channel hit northern France on Sunday causing chaos.
One department (Calvados) remains on a heightened orange alert for river flooding this morning (Monday May 13), with nearly 40 others on a tier-two yellow warning for storms, flooding, or strong winds.
In some streets in the department, water levels temporarily reached 80cm high, as heavy rain continued.
In Saint-Pierre-en-Auge, mudslides also hit roads, closing some schools.
Storms and rainfall will last throughout the week, touching all areas of France and particularly in the south-west, C茅vennes, and eastern areas around the Rh么ne.
More than 100mm of rain is predicted to fall across parts of the Massif Central, and in the north around Paris up to 40mm will fall before Sunday.
Storms are also predicted towards the end of the week in the areas listed above.
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The rapid shift in weather is due to cold wind patterns moving in from the Atlantic, bringing not only rain and storms but cold winds.
These winds will bring temperatures down to slightly below average throughout most places.
Une 馃寑 commence 脿 se creuser sur l'Atlantique. Elle va venir s'茅chouer au-dessus de la France en s'isolant en , apportant un temps humide馃挦 et assez frais jusqu'au prochain week-end. Cette goutte froide ne commencera 脿 se r茅sorber qu'apr猫s le 20 mai.
The arrival of the storms in the north brought torrential downpours to a number of departments in Normandy, Hauts-de-France and 脦le-de-France, affecting drivers in particular.
Bretelle de la N118 脿 S猫vres
— Karsenti (@Karsenti92)
Orage et #92 un petit probl猫me de canalisation pas adapt茅 脿 la s茅cheresse humide.
In Paris, hail fell alongside the rain, and impressive streaks of lightning were captured in the evening sky.
Averse impressionnante de gr锚le 脿 l鈥檌nstant 脿 S猫vres
— Subli (@Subli)
Grosse averse de gr锚le 脿 Paris, la rue para卯t savonn茅e
— Lubin (@Lubin51206214)
L'orage sur Paris. En regardant d'un peu plus pr猫s sur une de mes images, on voit clairement un avion se faire foudroyer en vol!A plane struck by lightning into the Parisian sky!!
— Kulik Bertrand (@ptrenard)
The worst of the storms were in Calvados and Eure (Normandy) where more than 50mm of rain fell in a couple of hours during the afternoon.
Some streets were flooded so severely that water levels reached car windows.
Saint-Martin-de-la-Lieue in Calvados, France this afternoon....馃寠馃憖
— Volcaholic 馃寢 (@volcaholic1)
40 mm en 30鈥� , la cote de Beaumont le Roger se transforme en torrent. .
— Deschamps JeanCharle (@jcdeschamps58)
[INONDATION]
Suite aux importants orages de cet apr猫s midi, la situation est tr猫s d茅licate sur le secteur de Livarot et Lisieux.
Il est tomb茅 pr猫s de 60mm de cumul de pluie au passage de l'orage.
馃摳In猫s Buisson
— 鈽�锔廋hris de M茅t茅o Basse-Normandie鈽�锔� (@NormandieMeteo)
No rain is predicted in the north today, however in the west and south-west some rain and potentially storms are expected.
However, some trains in the region, particularly those between M茅zidon-Canon and Argentan, are not running Monday morning.
The rain will return to Normandy by Wednesday (May 15), with fears that water levels may not have time to recede before the next downpours, increasing the risk of river flooding.
You can keep up to date with all weather warnings through the official M茅t茅o France .
