In brief
Storm Adam unleashed torrential rains across southern France, flooding streets and cutting off transport corridors. Four people died – two women, aged 86 and 26, drowned in a cellar, and a man was swept away from a 4x4 in Corsica – while a fifth sustained an injury. Residents in Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau sought refuge in emergency shelters, and authorities deployed emergency services amid widespread water levels. With Storm Austen looming, weather officials warned of further severe weather in north‑western France.
A relentless downpour from Storm Adam has claimed four lives in southern France and left a fifth person injured, while flooding has paralyzed roads and railways between Montpellier and Marseille.
The victims, including an 86‑year‑old woman and a 26‑year‑old woman, were found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches‑du‑Rhône region. In Corsica, a 4x4 vehicle was swept from its lane by surge waters; one passenger escaped through a window but another was found dead.
The towns of Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau, situated between Montpellier and Marseille, saw dozens of residents displaced into temporary shelters as authorities focused on rescue and clearance operations. A single injury was confirmed in the area, and transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned on X that water levels had reached unprecedented heights.
Prefect Jacques Witkowski expressed deep concern for the people affected and noted that emergency services were operating at an exceptional level to address the crisis.
In a broader European context, Storm Adam already devastated coastal towns in eastern Spain, where three fatalities were reported. Rescue crews in Valencia uncovered a woman's body on a beach, while another was found in Orrili. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged national resources to assist reconstruction, and the Valencian government approved a €23.5 million aid package.
Looking ahead, France’s meteorological service, Météo‑France, has issued an orange‑level wind warning for five western departments – Côtes‑d’Armor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille‑et‑Vilaine and Manche – as they prepare for Storm Austen, a new Atlantic system expected to arrive in the northwest during the coming weekend.
