Woman dies as weekend storms batter france: warnings continue

WORST OF STORM CÉLINE IS OVER BUT SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS COULD SEE ALERTS CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY Many French departments are still facing weather warnings this Monday (October 30), partly in

relation to an Atlantic storm that hit western France hard over the weekend. Storm Céline affected a number of western departments, particularly on Sunday, causing damage to properties in

the Loire valley, as well as disruption to flights and a delay for some boats in yesterday’s Jacques-Vabre sailing race launch. Around a dozen departments faced tier-three orange warnings

throughout the day, particularly in Brittany and the Atlantic coastline. In the east, storms were also felt over the weekend, and in the Bas-Rhin department strong gusts uprooted trees. A

70-year old woman in the department was killed by a falling tree on Sunday afternoon, and pronounced dead at the scene. She was outside picking up mushrooms, according to local media

reports. Today sees tier-two warnings in place along the Atlantic coast, with a number of departments in eastern France also on alert for stormy weather. The worst of the weather in the east

is set to hit over the course of the afternoon, but in the west, conditions could remain in place all day, with a handful of Atlantic departments continuing to face warnings on Tuesday

(October 31). WARNINGS STILL IN PLACE AFTER STORM There are 43 departments facing weather warnings in France for Monday as of 09:00. This includes warnings for strong winds, storms and heavy

rain as well as river and coastal flooding. The north-east of France is mostly facing warnings for heavy rain that is set to fall for most of the day, however many other departments face

multiple warnings at a time. In the south-east, storms around the Rhône valley and Mediterranean coast will affect a number of departments in the afternoon, leading to warnings for heavy

rain, stormy skies, and coastal flooding. The Charente-Maritime and Gironde departments are facing warnings for all five of the weather phenomena listed above. You can find an update of all

the warnings in place on the _Météo France_website – remember, if you hover over a department it will show you all the warnings in place. The map below shows the warnings currently in place

for Monday. Credit: _Météo France_ STORM CÉLINE CAUSES CHAOS The worst effects of storm Céline may now be over, however over the weekend the Atlantic storm caused havoc in the north and west

of France. In a number of western departments firefighters were called out at least 100 times over the weekend, as towns and villages were flooded by intense rain and burst riverbanks.

Brest airport saw all flights delayed on Sunday due to stormy conditions, as well as a lightning strike on the airport’s control tower overnight on Saturday. Around 40 sailing boats set to

take part in the Transat Jacques-Vabre race – which sees sailing boats race across the Atlantic – were delayed from leaving port in Le Havre, and are expected to have to remain docked until

at least the middle of the week. Some larger ships were allowed to depart, however, meaning the return of different ‘classes’ will be staggered. Elsewhere, Sunday storms in the east of

France caused Lyon’s public parks to close due to the strong winds after an order from the mayor. RELATED ARTICLES WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) DURING HEAVY RAIN AND FLOOD ALERTS IN FRANCE STORMS

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