Incredible Rainstorm in Southern France

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=305

By: Christopher C. Burt , 7:50 PM GMT on September 19, 2014

Torrential rainfall Tuesday through Thursday morning (September 16-18) in the Languedoc Region of southern France has resulted in flooding that has killed at least four people with two others still missing. The rainfall rates during the storm were phenomenal.

An inflow of moist air from the Mediterranean Sea resulted in a line of heavy thunderstorms that trained across the southern French districts of Gard and Herault for almost 36 hours September 16-18.

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A possible new all-time 2-hour rainfall record for France of 180 mm (7.09”) was measured at Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare (Herault District) between 10 p.m. and midnight on September 16th, surpassing the previous record rainfall for a two-hour period of 178.4 mm (7.02”) at Solenzara on October 26, 1979.

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Over the course of the entire 36-hour long storm period from Tuesady evening 8 p.m. to Thursday morning 8 a.m., a total of 468 mm (18.43”) of rainfall accumulated at Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare, the equivalent of 40% of their average annual precipitation amount.

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Needless to say, severe flash flooding occurred over the affected area and at least four fatalities have been reported; campers that were swept away in Lamalou-les-Bains, Herault District. Two others are missing and presumed drowned.

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The famous Catholic pilgrimage site, the grotto at Lourdes, was flooded and closed for the 3rd time in the past 18 months—flooding also occurred here last October and also in June 2013).


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