France’s national flood monitoring service reports that soil moisture in the country has reached its highest level since records began in 1959. The prolonged rainfall of the past two months, intensified by Storm Nils, left soils fully saturated and reduced infiltration capacity, sustaining elevated flood risk nationwide. Evacuations, infrastructure closures, and power outages were reported in several regions.
Storm Herminia has been battering Normandy and Brittany since January 25, 2025, causing widespread flooding, evacuations, and school closures. At least two people have lost their lives.
Torrential rains from Ex-Hurricane “Kirk” caused widespread flooding across Seine-et-Marne, France, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, with several rivers surpassing water levels recorded during the 2016 floods. The Grand Morin River rose to 3.66 m (12 feet), prompting evacuations and power outages in affected areas. Other regions were also severely impacted, including Paris, where the National Assembly was inundated.
Heavy rainfall and snowmelt caused catastrophic flooding in the French and Swiss Alps on June 11, 2024. In the French village of La Berarde, 97 people were stranded, and in Switzerland’s Zermatt, the Mattervispa river flooded the town center.
Following severe rainfall, Pas-de-Calais faces its second major flood in recent months, affecting hundreds of residents and leading to significant emergency responses, including 710 rescues since December 30.
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…
