Flooding in southwestern France has closed roads and interrupted rail services. Hundreds of homes have experienced power outages. Several people were evacuated in areas of Toulouse, Haute-Garonne Department, where one fatality was reported.
Heavy Rain and Flood Alerts
Red alerts were issued for flooding and heavy rain in the southwest departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrenees, Haute-Garonne and Ariège on 09 January 2022.
In a 36 hours period to 14:00 on 10 January, Augirein (Ariège)saw 155.4 mm of rain, Laruns (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) 146 mm, Aulus-les-Bains (Ariège) 138 mm and Arbeost (Hautes-Pyrénées) 129.1 mm, according to Météo-France.


River Levels
The Salat River in Saint Girons, Ariège jumped to levels not seen for 30 years, peaking at 3.13 metres on 10 January, the highest since October 1992 (3.02 metres) and the second highest on record after the June 1875 floods (6 metres).
In Oloron Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Gave d’Oloron river reached its second highest ever level, standing at 5.04 metres on 10 January, below the record high of 5.27 metres seen in June 2018.
Communities along the Garonne river in the Haute-Garonne Department saw some of the worst flooding. In the department capital Toulouse, the Garonne river stood at 4.31 metres as of 11 January, the highest level seen since the floods of June 2000 (4.38 metres).



Evacuations and Fatality
Over 700 university students were evacuated from a student residence in the Îles du Ramier neighbourhood in response to the rising river. Many of the students were accommodated in a local gymnasium for the evening. Also in Toulouse, flood waters reached the stadium of Toulouse Football Club.
Local media reported an elderly woman went missing and was later found dead in a flooded area in Merville near Toulouse.
Heavy rain also affected areas of Landes Department where authorities reported around 15 roads were closed due to flooding, with 3 others under supervision.
River levels are slowly falling but orange flood alerts remain in place for the departments of Gironde, Landes, Pyrénées Atlantiques, Hautes Pyrénées, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne. Authorities also warn of an increased avalanche risk in mountainous areas.
Social Media
720 #étudiants sont évacués ce soir de la résidence universitaire Daniel Faucher, sur l’île du Ramier.
Ils sont pris en charge par la ville de #Toulouse. 120 d’entre eux dormiront cette nuit dans un gymnase de la ville. Nous sommes à leurs côtés. #Garonne #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/lwK6wsjVCm
— Jonnhy Dunal (@dunaljonnhy) January 10, 2022
La #Garonne s'est bel et bien invitée au Stadium…
L'inondation est contenue au virage et n'a pas atteint la pelouse.
Saluons le travail des équipes techniques qui sont sur site et bien sûr, toutes nos pensées vont vers celles et ceux touchés par cette crue 😕#TFCASNL pic.twitter.com/bX68WeIzeT
— Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) January 11, 2022
📷 En images, la crue de la #Garonne.
Plus de #photos dans notre galerie Flickr : https://t.co/iLAf4GSFqN
Crédits photos : Patrice Nin. Mairie de #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/kkt4NKIOfi— Mairie de Toulouse (@Toulouse) January 11, 2022
La #Garonne en crue à #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/rhIqAgIInb
— Mairie de Toulouse (@Toulouse) January 10, 2022
Retour à Saint Girons #inondation 📷ian ours ariegeois l’ensemble du Couserans et du Comminges sont les zones les plus touchées pic.twitter.com/iAUsKJToLx
— Météo Pyrénées (@Meteo_Pyrenees) January 10, 2022
#inondations #Pyrenees #AlerteRouge
A Navarrenx, le gave d'Oloron est en crue pic.twitter.com/cszyB37jbh— Bénédicte Mallet (@BenedicteMallet) January 10, 2022