One person has died and around 160 were evacuated after a major storm caused flooding in the Haute-Loire department of France from 13 to 14 June 2017.
Météo France said that some areas recorded as much rain in 1 hour as they would normally see in around 7 weeks.
Earlier today, Gérard Collomb of France’s Ministry of the Interior expressed his solidarity with those affected and commended the work of all the emergency services and authorities.
The body of a missing man was found in Le Brignon, Haute-Loire, this afternoon. It is thought the man was swept away in his vehicle last night while attempting to help others in difficulty.
Local authorities say that around 160 people in Haute-Loire had to evacuate their homes, some with assistance from emergency teams.
Météo France said that isolated storms brought highly localized intense rainfall from around 15:00 on 13 June. The communes of Landos, Costaros, Goudet and Le Brignon were badly affected from around 17:00. Severe hail was also reported in some areas.
The weather station of Landos-Charbon recorded significant rainfall totals, with 226 mm of rain falling during the storm. As much as 123 mm fell in just one hour (between 20:00 and 21:00). According to Météo France, this is equivalent to 48 days of rain.
Rivers also rose rapidly in the upper basin of the Loire, particularly at Chadrac, which rose by almost 6 metres during the storm, and also at Goudet, which increased by around 3 metres.
Social Media
Les inondations au Brignon, près d'Arlempdes en #HauteLoire filmées par Florian Badon : https://t.co/qBax8LEPPk #orages pic.twitter.com/S4yawERH6V
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) June 13, 2017
More large #hail Grazac in #HauteLoire #France by Thierry Monchal Via @MeteoContact #TY – 10/30 #eustorm https://t.co/5zNeyWDpzV #hailstorm pic.twitter.com/WoR5T9k3ta
— #eustorm (@EUStormMap) June 13, 2017
Photo de la #crue et #inondations à #Landos #Meteo43 @VISOV1 #MSGU . Source forum @infoclimat https://t.co/AUqv7zBpsk pic.twitter.com/vkCPuXfpIW
— Sébastien Brana (@SebastienBrana) June 13, 2017
Flood Summary
Locations
B - Costaros
C - Goudet
D - Le Brignon
E - Chadrac
Magnitude
Landos-Charbon - June 13 to June 14, 2017
123 mm fell in just one hour between 20:00 and 21:00, 13 June.
Loire River at Chadrac - June 14 to June 14, 2017
Loire River at Goudet - June 14 to June 14, 2017
Damages
Le Brignon - June 13 to June 14, 2017
June 13 to June 14, 2017
