
On Wednesday September 30, Hérault was placed on red alert for rain-flooding, causing major disruptions.
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Hérault was placed on red alert for rain-flooding on Wednesday September 30, leading to accumulations reaching 340 mm in 48 hours.
Public transport cut, the Lez in flood, schools closed: a look back at a day of chaotic bad weather in Montpellier
VIDEO - Wednesday September 30, Hérault was placed on red alert for rain-floods. In Montpellier, public transport was interrupted, several schools closed and rapid floods disrupted the day.
A gradual return to calm after heavy rains and thunderstorms in the South-East: discover the weather forecast for Thursday October 1st
Most of the episode is over. Accumulations locally reached 340 mm in 48 hours in the most exposed sectors, the equivalent of 2 to 3 months of precipitation.

The Trois Vallées zoo, administratively closed in 2025 for breaches of safety and animal welfare, has become an abandoned site. Around 150 animals still live there in precarious conditions, marked by repeated escapes.

The month of September 2026 was the second hottest and third driest in France, with a temperature rising by 3.1°C and a rain deficit of 70%, worsening the dryness of the soil.

Hérault and Gard were placed on red rain-flood alert on September 30 due to an exceptional Mediterranean episode, with record accumulations such as 337.6 mm in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, equivalent to 61 days of rain in one day. Specialists explain that these phenomena, linked to global warming, remain mainly concentrated in autumn despite possible occurrences in winter or spring.

Violent rain caused the partial collapse of a ceiling in a high school in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière in Hérault. No injuries were reported, but one hundred interns had to be urgently relocated to a nearby gymnasium.

Two tornadoes were observed on Wednesday in the south of Gard, moving towards Lunel, Marsillargues and Gallargues-le-Montueux, in the context of an active Mediterranean episode with heavy rain, hail and risk of flooding, leading to rescue operations and containment instructions.

Gard and Hérault are on red alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms this Thursday. Ardèche, Bouches-du-Rhône and Lozère remain on orange alert. Risks of flooding and runoff are reported by La Chaîne Météo.