Severe storms hit the western French Riviera, roads closed around Antibes
An unusually intense storm swept across the western French Riviera, flooding parts of Antibes and causing major disruption across the Alpes-Maritimes.
A powerful and unusually intense storm swept across the western French Riviera on the evening of Tuesday 3 February, causing widespread disruption, particularly in and around Antibes.
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In just a few hours, rainfall levels equivalent to an entire month were recorded, leading to flooding, road closures and significant material damage.
Antibes was the worst-affected area, especially in the western districts of the town and along the border with Vallauris. Heavy surface water caused major run-off, flooding parts of the road network and forcing the closure of several key routes, including the Châtaignier junction.
In the Val Claret area, water levels reached up to 40 centimetres at the lowest point, while a fallen tree blocked roads near Trois Moulins. A couple had to be brought to safety by emergency services.
During the night, street lighting and several traffic lights were out of action for several hours.
In Vallauris Golfe-Juan, Mayor Kevin Luciano activated the local emergency response plan as conditions worsened.
Fire crews from Antibes carried out around ten call-outs overnight, mainly for safety checks, with additional support sent from Nice.
Across the Alpes-Maritimes department, emergency services responded to a total of 32 incidents.
The storm was caused by a stationary hail-producing weather system, with rainfall reaching up to 180 litres per square metre in some areas.
An exceptionally powerful lightning strike was recorded at 10.16pm near Parc de Vaugrenier, close to the seafront road. According to Météo-France, the strike reached a strength of 244 kiloamperes.
Elsewhere, rockfalls led to further road closures in the hinterland.
In the Tinée valley, traffic was brought to a halt in both directions upstream of Isola village. A geologist sent to the site confirmed there was no immediate need to secure the rock face, though between 30 and 40 tonnes of debris must now be cleared.
As a precaution, the resort of Auron cancelled school transport for nearly 600 children travelling to the ski station.
While the storm caused extensive damage, no injuries have been reported. The weather system is now moving north and weakening, but the Alpes-Maritimes remains under a yellow weather warning on Wednesday, with a continued risk of icy conditions on the roads.