Brittany Braces for Further Flooding as Storm Ingrid Approaches
A new weather system, depression Ingrid, is set to bring winds of up to 110km/h to Brittany, France, exacerbating already severe flooding conditions. Residents in several departments are on high alert as saturated soils and rising tides combine to create a dangerous situation.
The current flooding is the result of an exceptionally wet January. In just three weeks, parts of Brittany have received the equivalent of a month and a half of rainfall. Specifically, Ploërdut (Morbihan) recorded 233 millimeters, Quimper (Finistère) saw 212 millimeters, and Bléruais (Ille-et-Vilaine) experienced 121 millimeters of rain. This deluge has left the region’s soils completely waterlogged.
“This has led to the saturation of the soil, that is to say that each time we have an episode of rain, it will go directly into the watercourse, it will lead to an increase in the water level,” explained a flood forecaster with the Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing of Brittany.
The situation is further complicated by tidal activity. High tides, such as the one experienced on Thursday, January 22nd, impede the natural outflow of river water into the sea. Coupled with strong onshore winds, this creates a backflow effect, pushing water inland.
Storm Ingrid Threatens to Intensify Flooding
The arrival of depression Ingrid on Friday, January 23rd, is expected to worsen these conditions. Forecasters predict increasingly violent winds from the west to south-west, which will hinder any potential recession of floodwaters.
According to Tristan Amm, a forecaster at Météo France, “From this evening and tonight, we are going to have winds which will become more and more violent… And then, we will have a rainy spell, more or less significant. And in total, we could add locally up to 40 millimeters of water to the soils which are already saturated.”
As a result, Finistère, Morbihan, and Ille-et-Vilaine are currently under orange alert for flooding. Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution and heed the advice of local authorities. The combination of saturated ground, high tides, and powerful winds presents a significant risk to communities across the region, and the situation remains highly precarious as Brittany prepares for the full force of Storm Ingrid.
