Thunderstorms, hail, strong winds … A thunderstorm degradation is underway on a large southwest quarter of the country because of a cold drop. The first thunderstorms struck the south of Aquitaine in the night.
Time deteriorates by the Southwest. After a sunny weekend over most of France, seven departments are now placed in orange vigilance By Météo-France This Tuesday, May 19 for risks of thunderstorms and rain-innon.
The orange alert departments for risks of rain-innum are Var, Tarn, Haute-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne. In addition, the Var is also placed in orange alert between 6 am and 9 am this Tuesday for risk of thunderstorms.
Holds cause significant damage
“During the night from Monday to Tuesday, the rains continue in the southwest with less intensities than under the thunderstorms of the day, but generating very important cumulatives over time,” said Météo France in its last point of situation published this Tuesday evening.
“At the end of the night from Monday to Tuesday and Tuesday morning, locally violent thunderstorms are expected on the coast of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur,” warns meteorologists.
Météo France indicates that these “violent” thunderstorms are “expected at the end of the night and early morning in the south of the Var department”.
“They will notably be able to produce high rain intensities (80 to 120mm in three hours), hailstorms and strong gusts of wind,” say the forecasters.
According to the latter, “whirlwind phenomena are not excluded in particular on the coastline.”
In its latest bulletin published this Monday evening, Météo France warns that in the southwest “moderate to strong rains are continuing during the night of Monday to Tuesday, bringing additional cumulation to already well impacted departments.”
Thunderstorms, sometimes not very mobile, have already led to large falls of Grêlons in Haute-Garonne and heavy rains. “We saw this black storm which came to us and this strong rain and this quantity of water in a short time, in 20 minutes we had a lot of water with the flooded gutters,” said Fabien, witness to BFMTV weather. On social networks, videos show hail falling on homes, gardens and harvests.
Thunderstorms have already touched the Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, placed in yellow vigilance from Sunday.