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Météo-France maintained red alerts for flooding in four departments in southwestern France on Wednesday as Storm Pedro brought further heavy rain to already saturated ground.
Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Maine-et-Loire and Charente-Maritime remained on the highest alert level. Around 20 other departments along the Atlantic coast were under orange alert for wind, waves and storm surge flooding.
France’s national flood monitoring service reported soil moisture had reached its highest level since records began in 1959. The country has experienced 35 consecutive days of rain, the longest uninterrupted period on record.
Around 1,700 people have been evacuated in Lot-et-Garonne since 10 February. Three deaths have been linked to recent weather conditions, according to Ecological Transition Minister Monique Barbut.
Storm Pedro was described by Météo-France as a “non-exceptional winter storm”, but forecasters took a cautious approach following the recent passage of two storms across the country. The saturated ground could no longer absorb rainfall by the time the latest system arrived.
Emergency measures in major cities
In Bordeaux, the Garonne river level was not falling and Mayor Pierre Humeric activated a local flood protection plan. High tidal coefficients raised fears of flooding in two districts.
Markets along the river were cancelled, schools and kindergartens in affected areas closed and emergency shelters opened for homeless people.
In Angers, the Maine river was expected to exceed its record level from 2000. Mayor Christophe Béchu described it as the highest flooding in 25 years. Authorities deliberately flooded roads along the river to reduce pressure on the waterway elsewhere.
Gymnasiums were opened to accommodate homeless people.
Search continues for missing man
Authorities in Chalonnes-sur-Loire continued searching for a man who disappeared on Tuesday evening after a charity canoe trip. Two other people were rescued after their boat capsized.
In Saintes, the Charente river level was expected to rise to between 6.40 and 6.50 metres, around 30 centimetres below its 1982 record. More than 2,000 houses in the town have been affected by flooding, with half of them inundated.
Rail services remained disrupted across the west and southwest, with state operator SNCF warning travellers to check journey status in advance. Around 5,000 homes in Lot-et-Garonne remained without power.
More than 9,000 homes in Dordogne were without drinking water due to weather conditions, while some properties in Langon, Gironde, also lost access to clean water supplies.
Météo-France forecast that Storm Pedro would bring winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour to coastal areas, with up to 50 millimetres of rain in parts of the southwest.