Violent storms forecast for south-west France for Sunday afternoon
Eight departments placed on orange alert by Météo-France
Authorities are advising caution from around 15:00 to 21:00, when lightning, hail and strong wind gusts are most likely to cause disruption across the affected regions
Worradirek / Shutterstock / Météo-France
Violent storms are forecast across south-west France from Sunday afternoon, with eight departments placed on an orange alert and 78 others under yellow warning for thunderstorms as a broad band of instability moves across the country.
The high (orange) alert for storms issued by state-forecaster Météo-France are for Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn and Aveyron and will last from 15:00 until 21:00 Sunday evening.
The wider yellow alert covers 78 departments, covering all of France except for Corsica, the south-east and the north.
Météo-France describes the situation as a “net degradation” linked to a depression moving in from the Bay of Biscay towards central France, triggering a band of thunderstorms from Sunday afternoon into the evening.
Fast-developing storms with hail risk
Météo-France warns that the storms may be short-lived but locally severe, with a risk of hail, intense rainfall over short periods and wind gusts reaching 80 to 90km/h.
Lightning activity is expected to be frequent, and hailstones of significant size remain possible in the most intense storms.
The most active phase is expected between mid-afternoon and early evening, particularly across Midi-Pyrénées and towards the Cévennes, before storms gradually weaken as they move further east into Auvergne and the Rhône Valley after 21:00.
Authorities are advising caution from around 15:00 to 21:00, when lightning, hail and strong wind gusts are most likely to cause disruption across the affected regions.
