Flooding in western France continues to escalate, with water levels in rivers surpassing long-standing records and threatening new areas.
Three departments in Brittany are now under a “red” flood warning, including Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, as cumulative rainfall for January has reached a record 170 mm—the highest since 1944.
“Since the beginning of the month, three times the average rainfall for this period has been recorded,” France’s meteorological agency stated, warning that the situation is likely to persist until at least Wednesday.
In the Ille-et-Vilaine department, the first to experience flooding, approximately 500 residents have been evacuated since the weekend, according to France Bleu. The Vilaine River has exceeded levels recorded during the “historic” 1995 flood, while the Seiche River has broken records set in 1966.
The flooding has led to the partial closure of 42 local and national roads. Despite the challenges, key transportation routes in Rennes—the largest city in the affected area—remain open. Schools, daycare centers, and tap water services are still operational.
The crisis began with Cyclone “Herminie,” which struck over the weekend following the earlier storm “Eowyn.” The back-to-back storms saturated the ground and caused widespread flooding, adding to the damage along France’s Atlantic coast.
