Zane Lilley The Connexion Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:46 UTC
Several areas of France saw rivers burst their banks and flood through towns over the Easter weekend with storms and heavy rain sweeping across the south-west and east. Hundreds of homes had to be evacuated.
Many departments still face warnings over river levels, particularly in the south-west and east.
The Arroux and Armançon rivers in the east of France remain at the highest possible risk level for flooding today (April 2).
The videos below posted on social media show the impact of flooding from these rivers.
Easter processions in southern Spain have been cancelled after heavy rain from Storm Nelson, as the country was hit by strong winds and four people drowned on its storm-battered coasts.
All of the big processions in Seville on Holy Thursday were cancelled because of the rainstorms that were otherwise welcome in a region that has been experiencing a severe drought.
The processions of the Nazarenes, famous for their purple, pointed hoods, were also cancelled in Huelva and Cádiz.
Footage released by emergency services showed overflowing waterways and torrents of muddy water cascading down staircases and roadways in the town of Edolo.
At least 15 people were evacuated from the area, Italy's firebrigade Vigili del Fuoco said in a written statement.
A hailstorm on Sunday morning in Al Namas governorate, part of the Asir region, resulted in significant damage, with a video circulating on social media showing the aftermath of the event.
The footage shows numerous cars with their rear and front windows shattered due to the impact of large hailstones, alongside damage to the vehicles' exteriors.
A portion of Highway 1 in Monterey County remained closed Sunday after collapsing during Saturday's storm, state transit officials said, stranding 1,600 people on Easter weekend.
Engineers with the California Department of Transportation were assessing the slip-out that forced the closure of Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge at Palo Colorado on Saturday, the state agency said Sunday. An estimated 1,600 residents and visitors were stranded after parts of the southbound lane collapsed. The rain was coming down at a rate of 2 inches per hour at one point, according to the National Weather Service.
Nearly two inches of rain fell on Southern California in just one hour, causing severe flooding that shut down Highway 101 and left drivers stranded. Orange County roads turned dangerous for drivers, and part of Highway 1 was washed out. NBC News' Jesse Kirsch reports.
A rather unusual sight was in store for visitors to some ski resorts on the south-side of the Alps, with slopes at Corviglia or Corvatsch, Switzerland, looking like a caramel Fudge Sundae.
Slopes in the southern Alps were covered in Sahara sand carried in by the strong winds that were blowing across the Alps with gusts of up to 100km (62 miles). Warm southerly winds have been bringing large amounts of fine sand from the Sahara to Central and Southeast Europe for days. On Saturday, large parts of Austria, Switzerland, and southern Germany were affected. Instead of a sunny Easter Saturday, it was partly eerily dark in the middle of the day in some areas.
According to calculations by Swiss Meteo, 180,000 metric tons of Sahara dust hung in the air over Switzerland alone on Saturday. While Sahara dust is a regular occurrence, this much is quite unusual. Normally, the wind will carry about half as much sand to Switzerland.
An unusual sandstorm struck Russia's Amur region from China and Mongolia, giving the air some orangey tints.
Residents will have to endure bizarre conditions for a few more days, while health experts have advised to take care of their eyes amid the sandy winds.
Comment: Another report: Town submerged after heavy rain triggers severe flooding in central France