Corsica: 416 mm of rain in three hours sets a French record

In the east of the French island of Corsica, 416.5 millimetres of rain fell in three hours, more than half the average annual total. Meteorologists have declared the highest alert level for part of the island: rivers are overflowing, and roads and buildings are flooded.

According to the Solenzara weather station on the east coast, 123.1 mm of rain fell there between 9 and 10 a.m., another 188.6 mm in the next hour, and 104.8 mm between 11 a.m. and noon. From 5 a.m. to noon the station recorded a total of 456.2 mm. Heavy rain continued in the region during the day, so the final total may turn out to be noticeably higher.

According to preliminary data, the previous French record for one-hour rainfall, set in October 1986, has been broken by a wide margin. The two- and three-hour maximums recorded in September 2020 have also been exceeded. The new records still have to be officially confirmed by the French weather service Météo-France.

The cause is Storm Adam, which is bringing very warm, humid air to the Mediterranean. Thunderstorm cells keep forming over eastern Corsica and passing over the same places, while the island’s mountainous terrain intensifies the lifting of moist air and the rainfall.

Heavy downpours from Storm Adam have also hit the south of mainland France and the east of Spain, where floods have claimed the lives of at least four people. Since Tuesday the bad weather has also affected northern Italy, where the highest alert level is in force.

Source: novinky.cz