On Thursday the country's weather agency issued orange alerts - the second highest weather warning - for much of central France and parts of the Pyrenees in the south west with high winds forecast to lash the regions. The departments placed on alert were: Loire, Haute-Loire, Rhône, Ain, Allier, Ardèche, Ariège, Cantal, Côte-d’Or, Drôme, Haute-Garonne, Isère, Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Saône-et-Loire. Météo France forecasters warned the public to expect winds of up to 120 km/h in these areas on Thursday evening and up to 150km/h on higher ground in the Pyrenees. The western departments of Landes and Charente-Maritime are also on alert for flooding while the south-eastern departments of Var, Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute Provence are also on alert with heavy rain set to cause flooding on Thursday. In addition an avalanche warning has also been issued for the department of Alpes-de-Haute Provence with snow expected on higher ground.

Source: The Local December 19, 2019 15:56 UTC