Storm Herminia triggers floods in France, alpine avalanche risks
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Residents walking in a flooded street in Guipry-Messac as the Vilaine river overflows after days of heavy rain causing flooding.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Storm Herminia fuelled more flooding in north-west France and created dangerous avalanche conditions in the Alps.
The worst flooding in Brittany for two decades extended on Jan 28 to the departments of Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique.
Meteo France issued red alerts for those areas, warning people to stay away from rivers, low-lying areas and bridges after back-to-back storms caused waterways to overflow.
The most severe flooding is expected along the Vilaine and Seiche rivers, the forecaster said.
Red warnings were also issued along the coasts of northern Spain and Portugal, where the storm could generate waves as high as 14m.
Herminia has swept in on the heels of Storm Éowyn, which battered Ireland and Britain with hurricane-force winds last week.
Research suggests climate change could mean fewer winter storms in north-west Europe, but it could increase the intensity of large ones like Éowyn.
Yellow rain alerts are in place for southern England and Wales on Jan 28.
The authorities raised the avalanche risk to level 4 across a large swath of the Swiss Alps, after up to 80cm of fresh snow fell in some areas.
That snow is unstable, especially on shady slopes, and could trigger dangerous slides, according to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.
There are also avalanche alerts across much of the French Alps, including an amber warning for the Haute-Alpes department. BLOOMBERG
