VIDEO. Drought: the Loire is so low that you can cross it on foot

Where has the Loire gone?

The level of the longest river in France is at its lowest due to drought and heat waves.

At the point where you can cross the Loire on foot in some places.

As in Tours, under the Napoleon Bridge, where it is possible to cross the river in half.

Or near Orléans, where the water now reaches below the knees!

Striking images and videos show the river almost dry, revealing a desert landscape.

The flow of the Loire has reached its alert threshold.

It has been declining since the beginning of July, at 50 m³ / s, demonstrates on Twitter forecaster and snow expert from Météo France Gaétan Heymes.

"According to Hydroportail, over 27 years of measurements, the absolute minimum instantaneous flow record is 48.2 m³/s in August 2019".

At this rate, the river may soon reach its historic low.

And to make matters worse, the heat wave currently affecting France will continue this week, with a peak heat wave expected on Friday in most of the country.

In total, 16 departments are placed in heat wave orange vigilance in the west of the country.

Heatwave episodes that led to severe drought and reduced river flows in many other regions.

Since July 17, the soil moisture index has fallen below that recorded during the historic droughts of 1976 and 2003. already very affected.

93 departments in mainland France out of 96 are currently subject to water use restrictions to varying degrees.