In recent hours, thunderstorms, sometimes accompanied by heavy rain, have crossed France, causing slight damage.
We take stock of the situation, while five departments remain on orange alert on the Mediterranean arc this Wednesday and the phenomenon also concerns the northwest of the country.
In
Corrèze,
two people were seriously injured by the fall of a tree due to bad weather in the municipal campsite of Collonges-la-Rouge on the night of Tuesday August 16 to Wednesday August 17, report our colleagues from France Bleu Limousin.
The tree fell on a tent and a trailer after falling around 2.30am.
The two injured are a 69-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man.
The vital prognosis of the woman is engaged and she was transported in absolute emergency to the hospital center of Brive.
The man was also transported to this hospital.
The gendarmes are on site Wednesday morning to investigate and determine the exact circumstances and the precise reasons for the fall of this tree.
In
Marseille,
the Major tunnel in the city center is closed due to a clogged pipe following heavy rain.
Access to the Old Port tube, also flooded, had to be closed, before reopening early this morning, La Provence informs us.
In the streets of the Phocaean city, flooding of garages or cellars and some roof leaks have been recorded, particularly in the 7th arrondissement.
Flooding also took place around the Old Port, but no casualties were reported.
A surfer, in his car, was able to film this impressive scene of flooded streets.
This morning 6:15 am flooded old port 🫠 #Marseille #oldport #downpour #rain #flood #thunderstorms #thunderstorm @BFMTV @NRJMarseille @marseille @BFMMarseille pic.twitter.com/qw85OJ04Oi
— Marylin 👸🏻💁🏻♀️ (@Maryliiiine) August 17, 2022
At the courthouse, offices were flooded and the courthouse parking lot was deprived of light.
Only Huveaune is the lucky beneficiary of bad weather since its level has increased, Marseille being subject to drought since June.
Finally, a large number of lightning strikes were recorded during the night.
Lightning also struck in the
Bouches-du-Rhône
, the firefighters reported this morning in Simiane a house fire as our colleagues from La Provence still relate.
Luckily, there was no damage inside the house.
In the Camargue, as on the Marseille-Gardanne axis, lightning struck several times, more particularly on the coast.
In
Toulon,
water continued to pour into the streets this morning.
A journalist present on site to share images at the foot of Mount Faros still under water very early this morning.
#storms: Already a lot of rain here at the foot of #MontFaron in #Toulon (#Var) for 20 minutes.
And it goes on… pic.twitter.com/l3HgAggIVM
— michael zoltobroda (@MichaelZolto) August 17, 2022
On the side of the capital, Paris
was placed only in yellow vigilance for the storms this Tuesday and yet all of a sudden, the deluge.
Waterspouts fell on the capital, shortly before 6 p.m., due to violent storms.
The Eiffel Tower weather station recorded gusts of up to 104 km/h.
On social networks, images showing flooded streets have multiplied.
The metro also paid the price.
Several Internet users have filmed water spills on the stairs at the entrance to certain stations.
But the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) wants to be reassuring.
"Apart from a few flooded cellars, there were no particular interventions following the storms", reported an officer leaving a situation point of the crisis cell shortly before 10 p.m.
VIDEO: Storms in Paris: torrential rains flood the capital, trees uprooted by the winds
These storms and intense rains are not finished on the whole territory.
Because in addition to the five departments of the Mediterranean arc which have been on orange alert since Wednesday morning due to the risk of potentially violent storms, three departments in the North-West are now also affected by the phenomenon.
🔶 5 dpts in #vigilanceOrange
Stay informed on https://t.co/rJ24zzmmy4 pic.twitter.com/fdDLB6ATNK
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) August 17, 2022
Météo France, in its latest bulletin, explains that it is particularly concerned about stationary thunderstorms, which can lead to heavy accumulations of rain.
The forecaster thus explains that the stormy line which concerned the south-east of Hérault and the south of Gard is spreading towards the east and approaching the Bouches-du-Rhône from the west.
And to anticipate: "other storms form at sea and go up to the same areas".
These storms give showers of the order of 20 to 40 mm in less than an hour.
This phenomenon could therefore also rage in the North-West of the country in the coming hours.