Storm Adam Floods Southern France, Leaving at Least Four Dead
Two women drowned in a Bouches-du-Rhône cellar as floodwater cuts roads and rail, and Storm Austen is forecast to hit France's west next
By AXY Science Desk ·
Key points
- At least four people have died and one was injured after Storm Adam caused flooding across southern France on Tuesday.
- Two women aged 86 and 26 were found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches-du-Rhône region.
- Dozens of residents were moved into emergency shelters in Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau, between Montpellier and Marseille.
- Météo-France has issued an orange-level wind warning for five western departments from Thursday evening into Friday, as Storm Austen approaches.
At least four people have died in France and one other person has been injured after flooding caused by Storm Adam swept across the south of the country on Tuesday. The storm inundated streets, disrupted transport and forced dozens of residents out of their homes. The most distressing details so far involve two women, aged 86 and 26, who were found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, the département that includes Marseille.
The flooding in southern France is the immediate story, but it is also the start of a longer run of bad weather. Forecasters have already named a second system, Storm Austen, which is moving in from the Atlantic. Météo-France, the French national weather service, has issued a wind warning for five western departments. For people living in the south, the question now is how quickly the water recedes. For people in the west, it is whether they will have time to recover before the next storm arrives.
Two Women Drowned in a Cellar in Bouches-du-Rhône
The cellar deaths show how quickly floodwater can trap people indoors. Basements and ground-floor cellars tend to fill fast in heavy rain, because water runs off paved streets and gathers in the lowest spaces. A flooded cellar can have only one way out, usually a narrow stairway or a single door. If that door is pushed shut by rising water, or the room fills faster than someone can climb out, escape becomes very difficult.
The reported ages of the two women, 86 and 26, mean the storm affected people across a wide age range. Older residents may have less mobility to move quickly to higher ground, while younger people may not expect water to rise so fast on a street that normally stays dry. The reporting does not link the two deaths to any single cause beyond the flooding itself.
A 4x4 Swept Away and a Fourth Death
Local media reported that a 4x4 vehicle was swept away by floodwaters on Tuesday. One of its occupants escaped through a window, but another man was found dead. Vehicles are among the most dangerous places to be during a flood. Water can lift a car with surprising force, and moving water only a few dozen centimetres deep is enough to push a heavy vehicle off a road. Many flood deaths around the world happen inside cars for exactly this reason.
The man found dead in the 4x4 is one of the four deaths. The fourth death is reported separately, and authorities have not released further details about it. The reporting so far gives no further account of how that person died, so the public picture of the toll is still incomplete.
Corsica was also hit by severe weather. The island lies off France's south-eastern coast, which means the storm reached well beyond the mainland areas where the worst flooding was seen.
Dozens Sheltered in Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau
In the towns of Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau, which sit between Montpellier and Marseille, dozens of residents were accommodated in emergency shelters after the floods hit. For those families, the storm meant leaving homes that were no longer safe, often with little warning and only what they could carry. Officials said one person was injured in that area.
Emergency shelters are usually set up in public buildings such as halls and schools when homes become unsafe or cannot be reached. They give people a dry place to sleep, food and a space to wait while water drains away. Authorities then check which properties are safe to re-enter. The number of people in shelters is one of the clearest signs of how many households were affected, and it can change quickly as the water recedes.
Near Marseille, in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, severe rainfall left a car abandoned in the road. A local resident was pictured showing her house, which had been flooded. Those images show how quickly ordinary streets can turn into fast-moving water, and how long the damage can last inside a home after the rain stops.
Prefect Jacques Witkowski on Rising Water
Jacques Witkowski, the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, said in a statement on Wednesday that “the water has risen to unprecedented levels.” A prefect is the French state’s senior official in a department. In a crisis like this one, the prefect coordinates emergency services, police and local authorities, so his statement was the clearest official account of how severe conditions had become.
Witkowski expressed “a thought for all those who are in distress,” and added: “We are mobilised at an exceptional level to resolve several issues.” The wording points to several problems at once. Rescues, shelter, damaged property and blocked routes all need attention in the same period, and each one draws on the same emergency staff. Read alongside the deaths and the shelter numbers, the statement suggests that local authorities were handling more than one emergency at the same time.
Rail and Road Closures Across the Region
Transport was hit hard as well. Philippe Tabarot, France’s Transport Minister, wrote in a post on X that roads and train lines in the area had been disrupted. For commuters and freight, that can mean longer journeys, cancelled services and delays while crews check tracks and clear debris.
Flooded rail lines can stay closed for some time, because engineers need to confirm that the track bed and signalling are safe before trains can run again. Road closures have a similar effect. When a main route is cut, emergency vehicles and supply trucks often have to take longer detours, which can slow help reaching the places that need it most. The disruption therefore reaches well beyond the streets that were directly flooded.
Storm Austen Heads for France’s North-West
The flooding is not the end of the bad weather. More severe weather is forecast for France, with Storm Austen, a newly named system moving in from the Atlantic, expected to reach the country’s north-west. Forecasters give names to systems they expect to bring significant impacts, and a name helps the public follow warnings as they are issued and updated.
Météo-France has issued an orange-level wind warning for five western departments from Thursday evening into Friday. France’s weather warnings use colour levels, with green meaning no particular danger and red the most serious. Orange signals dangerous weather and calls for people to take precautions, and it sits one step below red.
This could mean that communities already dealing with flooded homes and damaged roads face strong winds before they have finished clearing up. Wind can bring down trees and power lines, which can make the aftermath of a flood more dangerous and slower to repair. For households that are still in shelters or waiting to return home, another night of high winds would extend an already difficult week.
Questions for the Coming Days
Several questions will shape what happens next. The first is whether the death toll changes, particularly once authorities release more detail about the fourth death. The second is how long residents stay in shelters, which will depend on how quickly the water drains and how many homes are judged safe to re-enter. The third is whether the transport disruption eases before Storm Austen arrives.
For people in low-lying streets and in homes with cellars, the practical advice is straightforward. Follow official warnings from local authorities and Météo-France, and avoid driving through floodwater. Even shallow water can hide road damage and strong currents, and a stalled car can be swept away within moments. The Thursday-to-Friday wind warning in western France is the next real test, because it will show whether communities that have only just started recovering can withstand another round of severe weather.
Questions and answers
What caused the deaths in southern France?
At least four people died after flooding caused by Storm Adam swept across southern France on Tuesday. Two women aged 86 and 26 were found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, and a man was found dead after a 4x4 was swept away by floodwaters.
Where did the flooding from Storm Adam hit?
Flooding hit the Bouches-du-Rhône region, the towns of Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau between Montpellier and Marseille, and Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts near Marseille. Corsica was also hit by severe weather.
Is more bad weather expected in France?
Yes. Storm Austen, a newly named system moving in from the Atlantic, is expected to reach the country’s north-west. Météo-France has issued an orange-level wind warning for five western departments from Thursday evening into Friday.
Topics: Storm Adam, Southern France flooding, Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille, Météo-France, Storm Austen, Philippe Tabarot
Sources: BBC Science
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