Officials maintain red alerts as residents see unprecedented 35 consecutive days of rain: 'This will happen more often'

Flood alerts remained in effect Friday for parts of western France after a powerful storm dumped torrential rainfall across the region during the middle of the month. It was a deadly and destructive storm that left three people dead. Early estimates of insured losses from Storm Nils have exceeded $3.5 billion.

"People who follow climate issues have been warning us for a long time that events like this will happen more often," Monique Barbut, minister for the ecological transition, told the Guardian on Tuesday, the day after she saw firsthand the flood's impacts on the Gironde region. "In fact, tomorrow has arrived." 

A series of systems had already saturated the soil in southwest France prior to Storm Nils' arrival. A record streak of continuous rain, the longest since records began in 1959, set the stage for this week's flooding. Météo‑France, the French national weather service agency, reported 37 consecutive days of measurable precipitation as of Friday.

"Since the beginning of the year, two anticyclones centered over Africa and northern Europe have directed a series of disturbances over France and Spain, bringing rainy weather to the country," according to Météo‑France. "Storms Goretti, Ingrid, Nils, and Pedro have followed one another in a disturbed flow, and the rain has accumulated. Brittany, the southwest quarter of the country, and the Mediterranean coast are on the front line."

Back-to-back storms have taken a toll on western and southwestern Europe this winter. Storm Nils, the most recent storm, hit France the hardest on Feb. 11 and 12, with rainfall of around 1 to 2 inches in many areas. Harder-hit spots received up to 3 inches of damage. "We were overwhelmed by the scale of the phenomenon," admitted Barbut in an interview for France TV.

The western departments of France, including Nantes, Angers, and La Rochelle, remained under flood alerts Friday. These "absolute vigilance" level alerts mean "exceptionally dangerous phenomena are expected." It represents the most urgent weather alert level for flooding.

"Major flooding is currently occurring on the Maine, Loire, and lower Charente rivers," warned meteorologists with Météo‑France. "Significant flooding is also occurring in the west of the country, particularly on the lower Garonne." 

"A changing climate could have devastating effects on France's coastal settlements, infrastructure, and ecosystems," warned an assessment of climate-related risks that focuses on how impacts from a warming world will play out through the end of the century, produced by the Group of 20, an international forum of the world's largest 20 economies. 

"Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and changing storm patterns could see 0.61 million people exposed to devastating floods by 2050, if it follows a high carbon pathway," the report said. "Following a low-carbon pathway and investing in climate-resilient coastal infrastructure will help France avoid the worst coastal impacts."

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