Mediterranean storm floods Montpellier and sparks four tornadoes across France

Torrential rainfall and rising rivers

A severe Mediterranean weather episode brought intense rainfall across southern France on Tuesday and Wednesday, triggering widespread flooding in the Hérault and Gard departments. Rainfall reached between 300 and 400 liters per square meter in the Cévennes mountains, while the Montpellier area received between 200 and 250 liters per square meter from Tuesday evening onward. Over 140 millimeters fell in Montpellier within a few hours, prompting authorities to issue a red weather alert. The Lez river rose from several tens of centimeters to approximately 4.5 meters in Lattes, inundating surrounding roadways and forcing the suspension of city bus and tram networks. Four tornadoes were also recorded across the country, including two near Aigues-Mortes in Gard, one near Lunel in Hérault, and one near Rouen in Normandy.

Evacuations and emergency rescues

Emergency services deployed across the region as floodwaters surrounded homes and businesses. In Lattes, firefighters carried out a helicopter rescue to airlift a mother and her two daughters, aged 8 and 12, from their home near the Lez river. Around 60 homes in Lattes and several local campsites were evacuated as a precaution, while one girl sustained injuries in Saint-Aunès. At an equestrian center in Lattes, workers moved dozens of animals to safety before floodwaters submerged the paddocks.

Jordan Hamon, manager of Écuries Lattoises, described the emergency evacuation of 58 horses:

“We were lucky, we evacuated the horses in time, so we had no injuries, but I admit to you that we were still very scared.”

By Thursday morning, firefighters in Gard had completed six rescues, 18 safe evacuations, and two horse rescues. In Hérault, emergency personnel logged 99 interventions and secured 28 people across Montpellier, Lunel, Triadou, Combaillaux, and Saint-Gély-du-Fesc.

People brought to safety18

Rescues6

Equine rescues2

People brought to safety

18

Rescues

6

Equine rescues

2

Data from the article text

School damage and transport shutdowns

Flooding caused disruptions across regional transport and education facilities. In Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, north of Montpellier, heavy rainfall collapsed a false ceiling in the cafeteria of the Jean-Jaurès high school, an institution serving more than 1,600 pupils. Boarding students spent the night on camp beds in an adjacent gymnasium, and classes remained suspended on Thursday. In Les Matelles, roof damage kept students home, while 17 middle schools and three primary schools across Gard reported minor water infiltration.

Road transport faced severe bottlenecks on Thursday morning, with approximately 40 departmental roads and submersible bridges closed in Gard. In Nîmes, municipal authorities shut Boulevard Salvador-Allende following a road collapse near the construction site of the future Jacques Chirac park. The regional radio broadcaster ICI Gard Lozère evacuated its offices after rainwater penetrated the building roof, relocating staff to the Gard prefecture.

Water supply contamination and cleanup

As weather conditions stabilized on Thursday, Météo-France downgraded alerts in Gard and Hérault to yellow. Local authorities shifted their focus to infrastructure assessments and drinking water supplies. In Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, flood runoff contaminated municipal tap water with microorganisms, prompting emergency distribution of bottled water to the town of 3,700 residents. Similar water distribution operations took place in Villevieille, Lasalle, and Sauvignargues. In nearby Sauve, municipal workers surveyed damaged roads and isolated hamlets to determine when evacuated residents could safely return home.