Severe Storms: After Devastation in Southwestern France, the Var Remains on Alert for Mediterranean Thunderstorms

Torrential rain, unusually intense hailstorms, flash floods, and significant damage: the first major thunderstorm episode of the year hit southern France on Monday, May 19. While calmer weather has returned to most southwestern departments this Tuesday, the Var remains under an orange alert due to new storms expected along the Mediterranean coast.

On Monday afternoon and evening, several departments in the Occitanie region were swept by violent storms. Hailstones up to 5 cm in diameter were reported in Haute-Garonne, especially in Capens, where accumulations of 10 to 20 cm were recorded in towns like Aurignac, Le Fousseret, and Pins-Justaret. Roofs were torn off, schools evacuated, and roads flooded. Firefighters responded to hundreds of emergency calls.

TGV Partially Derailed, Rail Traffic Suspended

In Tonneins (Lot-et-Garonne), the ballast beneath a railway line collapsed, causing a TGV from Paris to Toulouse to stop suddenly and partially derail. The train was carrying 507 passengers—none injured—who were evacuated later that evening to a local community center. Another Intercités train was stranded overnight in Agen. The SNCF has announced that rail traffic will be suspended “for several days” between Agen and Marmande, disrupting TGV service between Bordeaux and Toulouse.

“We felt the carriage tip, saw the floodwaters rise, and realized we were no longer on the tracks,” a passenger told BFMTV. Tonneins’ mayor, Dante Ribaudo, described the rainfall as “unprecedented in such a short time.”

Rainfall Records Broken

Rainfall totals reached exceptional levels: 79.1 mm fell in Saint-Félix-Lauragais (Haute-Garonne), setting an all-time record since the station opened in 2006. In the Tarn, 75.4 mm were recorded in Puycelsi, breaking the previous monthly record. Lightning activity was intense, with over 22,000 strikes recorded—especially in Gironde, Haute-Garonne, and Cantal.

Several towns in the southwest—Tonneins, Montech (Tarn-et-Garonne), and Eugénie-les-Bains (Landes)—suffered flash flooding. Rivers such as the Aveyron and Céou remain under close watch.

Calm Returns in the West, Storm Risk Persists in the East

On Tuesday morning, Météo-France lifted the orange alert for the hardest-hit departments in Occitanie: Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Dordogne, and Lot-et-Garonne. “Heavy rainfall has diminished and no longer requires special monitoring,” the weather service stated.

However, the alert remains active along the Mediterranean coast, where “locally violent” thunderstorms are expected during the morning. The Var department remains under an orange warning, while the Gard is under close observation. According to Météo-France, these storms could bring strong wind gusts, hail, and rainfall totals of more than 30 mm in a short period. An upgrade to a red alert is not ruled out.