Flash floods hit Marseille after 2 months’ worth of rain overnight, France
Image credit: Citiza
Flash floods hit parts of the city of Marseille in southern France on October 4, 2021, after 173 mm (6.8 inches) of rainfall fell overnight, with most of it in the space of 2 hours. The amount represents 2 months' worth of the city's average October rainfall. Travel was disrupted in the region and a number of train services were suspended.
Meteo France warned of the risk of significant flooding along the banks of Huveaune River, which runs through Marseille, and urged locals to be vigilant as storms were expected to last into the night.
Some of the residents living on the banks of the river in the Saint-Loup district were evacuated ahead of the storms.
Forts cumuls cette nuit sur l'est du 13, sur un axe Cassis-Aix.
On relève à 8h :
160 mm à Cassis
173 mm à l'est de Marseille
157 mm à Mimet
83 mm à Aix-en-ProvenceL'épisode n'est pas terminé, des passages orageux sont attendus jusqu'à ce soir. Restez vigilants
— Météo-France Sud-Est (@MeteoFrance_SE) October 4, 2021
Après ces deux jours extrêmement perturbés sur le #SudEst, quelques cumuls remarquables sur la période :
478 mm à Villefort (48)
194 mm à Marseille (13)
189 mm à Régusse (83)
environ 300 mm vers Brignoles (83)
252 mm à San-Giuliano (2B) pic.twitter.com/hgOj43lt6K— Météo-France Sud-Est (@MeteoFrance_SE) October 5, 2021
04/10/2021#Marseille
Des #témoins racontent :
– « On se déplaçait dans la cité en barque. On a monté les chaises sur les tables, on a pris notre chien et nos trois chats, et on est partis ».
– « Je vais dormir sur un lit de camp, ça me rappellera l’armée ».#inondations pic.twitter.com/k9BfwCAQWJ— Citiza (@citiza_media) October 5, 2021
The worst affected were parts of eastern Marseille, including the areas of Valmante, Les Olives, La Valentine and La Pomme.
Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan ordered residents to stay at home, amid concerns that further rainfall may intensify flooding.
Heavy rains also hit central parts of the country on October 3, with 150 and 300 mm (5.9 – 11.8 inches) of rain in 24 hours over Cevennes, and up to 458.5 mm (18 inches) in Villefort, Lozere — representing about 3 to 4 months of rain.
Depuis le début de l'épisode cévenol, on a relevé généralement entre 150 et 300 mm au cours des 24 dernières heures sur les Cévennes, et jusqu'à 458.5 mm à Villefort (Lozère), soit environ 3 à 4 mois de pluie. pic.twitter.com/MRkuRg79ys
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) October 3, 2021
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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