Paris mops up as heavy rain and flash floods bring transport to a halt

Heavy rainfall hit Paris on Tuesday evening following a recent heatwave across France, flooding several metro stations and bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill in the French capital.

Some 44mm of rain fell on Paris within one hour on Tuesday, 16 August 2022, flooding streets and metro stations across the French capital. © TF1

A massive storm erupted without prior warning over the skies of Paris on Tuesday evening, as commuters headed for metro stations after work.

The RATP transport organisation reported several Paris metro stations had been affected by flooding, as torretial rain pelted the city for at least 90 minutes, starting at 17h45 local time.

An estimated 44mm of rain fell within the space of an hour.

On the metro line 9, the RATP said that Alma Marceau station had been completely closed due to flooding, but traffic has since resumed.

The terminus of the metro line 8 at Balard was also inundated.

⛈ L'orage qui s'abat sur Paris génère des pluies intenses qui inondent certaines stations du métro, ici la station Balard sur la ligne 8 dans le 15ème arrondissement. (© Clément Parrot) pic.twitter.com/pctIcGkHtS

— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) August 16, 2022

• After months of wildfires, France told to brace for floods
• Paris increasingly threatened by heatwaves, floods

Storm and flood warnings in southern France 

Météo France has placed eight departments on orange vigilance warning for the risk of thunderstorms in the south of France.

The Aude, Aveyron, Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Hérault, Tarn, Var and Vaucluse are on high alert.

The Gard and the Hérault are also placed under orange alert for risks of flooding.