Extreme Rain Claims Three Lives in France

Three days of extreme weather in the south of France has caused three fatalities and serious damage, the French Interior Ministry reported.

In the town of Cazouls-d'Hérault in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, an elderly woman was found alone in her house. The rescue personnel tried to save her by bringing her to the hospital but she died overnight.

A homeless man was also found dead for unknown reasons in the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture. Another victim was a 90-year old man in the Gard region who died inside his car after it was washed away.

Officials are still unsure if those two deaths are related to the flooding. 

A two-month average rainfall was experienced within six hours on Wednesday morning in the town of Beziers. Herault, on the other hand, experienced at least 9 inches of rain within 24 hours. 

Pictures of floating cars after the River Orb overflowed were circulating also online.

About 2,000 rescue personnel were already deployed to the region.

A local media reported that a woman was also found unconscious in a vineyard. She was taken to a hospital in Montpellier through a helicopter. It was believed that she was washed away by the flood.

Local officer Jacques Witkowski said that the evacuation center had been set up and is currently housing more than 1,000 evacuees.

Flood in Spain

The torrential downpour also ripped through Spain, with Ibiza as its center. 

In Catalonia, the winds are expected to hit 80kmph. For that, the State Meteorological Agency rose an "orange alert" warning on that area, along with the Basque Country, Asturia, and Cantabria due to heavy rainfall and storms.

A 52-year old man was hit by a train due to the adverse conditions. He was sent to a hospital but he died soon after.

There were also some people, including a mother and son aged, 70 and 40, whose house got swept away by the river after it overflowed.

One man who was previously reported missing was found in the town of Caldes d'Estrac, 25 miles away from the north of Barcelona.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office have already issued a travel warning due to this severe weather condition.

The weather all over in Europe

According to Louise Lear, resident meteorologist of BBC, Spain is the center of the storm though is "drifting steadily eastward" across France. She warned that the western and central Europe will experience "heavy rainfall" on Thursday.

Some regions like Cantabria and Basque Country might also experience at least 100 liters of rainfall. Meanwhile, Mallorca and Menorca should look out for sea waves that can go as high as four meters.

But despite the torrent of rain, Europe should also expect dry weather after the storm passes through Italy. Balkan region and the mainland Greece can experience at least 10 degrees Celsius.

Spain and Portugal will also experience better weather conditions after Thursday.

The United Kingdom might be the only area that will not encounter dry and brighter conditions, Lear added.