Three reported dead, two missing as violent storms hit southern France

Up to 250mm of rain falls this morning around Lavandou

© Aleksei IgnatovViolent storms are traversing the south of France

At least three people have died in the south of France as violent storms hit the Var department today (May 20).

Two people died near Le Lavandou after the vehicle they were in was swept away by torrential rain, with nearly 250mm falling in a few hours before midday around the commune.

The elderly couple - born in 1939 - were 'surprised' by rapidly rising water when they were out driving in their vehicle, reported Var public prosecutor Samuel Finielz

Another person was reported dead in Vidauban, and several other people in the department are missing according to the latest reports by departmental authorities.

"Everything's flooded, the roads are cut off, areas near the beach have collapsed, the bridges are completely destroyed," said mayor of Le Lavandou Gil Bernardi (quoted in local media Var Matin).

He has asked authorities for emergency aid to help with the catastrophe.

Residents in areas worse-impacted are being asked not to travel by departmental authorities, to reduce the risk of further accidents.

The weather conditions are a continuation of violent storms that battered south-west France yesterday (May 19), causing severe damage, flooding, and disrupting the regional rail network.

Firefighters in the south-west were called out to hundreds of homes yesterday before storms moved eastwards overnight.

Emergency services in the Var have already responded to dozens of callouts so far today.

Some areas in the Var have seen record rain levels for the month of May surpassed this morning alone.

Water levels of the Môle river rose several metres this morning, stated official flooding website Vigicrues, with several roads nearby flooded and off-limits to vehicles.

The airport next to the river - that serves popular holiday destination Saint-Tropez - has been closed due to flooding.

Early images show severe damage in towns including Cavalière.

Several roads in the Var are flooded, making travelling through the department difficult.

More than 500 homes are without electricity, and 300 without running water.

Parks and other public locations in Nice and Cannes, in the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes department, have been closed due to the storms.

The rail network in the south-west remains severely disrupted today, and several schools in the area have been closed.

Local mayors in the south-west are calling for natural disaster zones to be declared by the government to help with insurance claims for damaged homes.

Hail and floods hit south-west hard

Yesterday's storms were accompanied by torrential rain and powerful hail measuring up to 7cm in diameter.

Toulouse and the surrounding suburbs were in particular affected.

A school in the outskirts of Toulouse was damaged by the hail and in rural areas it caused widespread damage to farms.

Communes in the Tarn department including Lautrec and Puylaurens were affected by flooding, as excess rain caused water to gush through streets.

The flooding has led to tier-two yellow warnings over rising river levels, however no severe alerts (tier-three or above) are currently in place, and it is unlikely river levels will continue to rise now rain has mostly subsided. .

Trains stuck overnight, TGV passengers evacuated

The flooding also disrupted rail connections in the south, with several local services cancelled due to the conditions.

Some of these services, particularly around Toulouse, are cancelled today (Tuesday May 20), so if you are planning to travel check journey schedules in advance through the SNCF Connect website or local alternative.

High-speed (TGV) connections from Toulouse to Paris are also set to face disruptions for a number of days - on Tuesday all direct high-speed services are cancelled, with passengers needing to travel via Montpellier or via 'Intercités' trains.

Connections between Bordeaux and Toulouse are expected to be disrupted for several days, as are local services around Agen.

A TGV with over 500 passengers on board was blocked near Tonneins (roughly equidistant between Toulouse and Bordeaux) after heavy rain forced it to stop last night.

Passengers were stuck for over three hours before they were evacuated and spent the night at emergency accommodation in the commune due to damage on the tracks.

Areas of the Tarn-et-Garonne were also impacted, as was Tonneins in the Lot-et-Garonne.

The train remains stuck in place, local media reports, due to severe damage on the tracks.

"It is a miracle the train didn't break up... it is also a miracle there were no casualties," said firefighters at the scene (quoted in local media Actu).

The driver reacted quickly after spotting damage on the tracks, dropping the train's speed down to 30 km/h.

Another train scheduled between Paris and Toulouse was stopped near Agen due to the rain, with passengers stuck in the train overnight according to an AFP journalist who was travelling on the route.

© Wikipedia / Mats Halldin The annual see-saw of the tropical rain belt.

[...]

The tropical rain belt lies in the southern hemisphere of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean roughly from October to March, and during this time the northern tropics experience a dry season in which precipitation is very rare, and days are typically hot and sunny throughout. From April to September, the rain belt lies in the northern hemisphere, and a wet season occurs there, while the southern tropics experience their dry season.

[...]

Tornadoes and severe weather tore through the Upper Midwest and the Mideast U.S. on May 16 killing more than 30 and leaving many damaged homes and downed power lines.

A day after several tornadoes reportedly touched down and caused "significant damage" in western and central Wisconsin, at least 23 are reported dead in Kentucky where tornadoes and severe storms ravaged the region on May 16. Seven more deaths were reported in Missouri. Two died in Virginia in separate incidents with trees falling on their vehicles, officials said.

Forecasts of severe weather continue throughout the weekend with about 50 million people from Texas to New York at risk for tornadoes and thunderstorms on May 17 and 18, according to AccuWeather.