Storm Adam triggered severe flooding across southern France on Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead and disrupting regional transport. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and local authorities reported widespread road and rail closures as emergency services deployed to shelters and flooded basements.
The water has risen to unprecedented levels.
The Mediterranean weather system brought torrential rain and rising waters to southeastern France, moving from Occitanie toward Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The downpour left streets submerged, cars swept away, and homes inundated in multiple departments. In the Bouches-du-Rhône department, two women aged 86 and 26 were found drowned in a flooded cellar. In Istres, a 75-year-old resident died after being swept away by floodwaters in the commune of Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts.
Severe flash flooding inundates southern France after Storm Adam brings torrential rainfall overnight. 🌧️🚨 pic.twitter.com/LtXCfyrcVl
Shelters Open As Floodwaters Surge Through Towns
Local authorities opened emergency shelters as floodwaters surged through towns between Montpellier and Marseille. In Mouriès, Saint-Martin-de-Crau, and Istres, dozens of residents were accommodated in a sports hall and municipal reception centres after being evacuated from rising water. Emergency services used a helicopter in an attempt to locate missing individuals during the height of the storm.
In Nîmes, where municipal facilities were shut down on Monday afternoon, traffic conditions improved and facilities began gradually returning to normal by midday on Tuesday. The A9 motorway reopened after being closed for several hours, though train services remained disrupted.
Gard firefighters, reinforced by crews from Aude and Vaucluse, answered 99 calls overnight as Storm Adam flooded southern France, including 41 to bring people to safety, and the A9 was closed near Nîmes, Midi Libre reports. @Midilibre https://t.co/jG2UaKsYxc
Severe Weather Impacts Across Corsica and Regional Transport
The island of Corsica also experienced severe impacts from the storm system. Local media reported that an SUV vehicle carrying two people was swept away by floodwaters into the Fium’orbu river in Ghisonaccia. One passenger managed to escape through a window, while rescue teams launched a search for the other man. North of Solenzara, precipitation totals reached nearly 400 millimetres since the storm began, including 191 millimetres in a single hour
recorded at the airport by Météo-France.
Transport networks across the south suffered heavy disruptions. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot noted on social media that roads and train lines were disrupted across the region. In Marseille, tram services were suspended on Tuesday morning, and motorways experienced partial flooding with slip roads closed.
Officials Issue Warnings For Incoming Storm Austen
The water has risen to unprecedented levels.
Jacques Witkowski, prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
Jacques Witkowski expressed a thought for all those who are in distress
and emphasized that We are mobilised at an exceptional level to resolve several issues.
Authorities noted that details regarding a fourth fatality have not yet been disclosed.
Weather agency Météo-France warned that Storm Austen was expected to bring heavy winds across the northwest from Thursday evening into Friday. Orange wind warnings were issued for five western departments: Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Manche.
Terrible Scenes from Corsica, this is what i was afraid of when i posted at the weekend of the storms caused in Eastern Spain and Southern France from Storm Adam https://t.co/oPk04gL1kr
We are mobilised at an exceptional level to resolve several issues.
Dramatic visuals from southern France show flooded streets and disrupted roads as heavy rain hits the region. Meanwhile, deadly storms in Spain have killed at least three people, with more than 80,000 residents under shelter-in-place orders.#FranceFloods #SpainFloods… pic.twitter.com/vf9ldxcRlx