France: France remains on alert as heavy rains flood homes and crops

France remains on alert for heavy rain and flooding in the southwest while the north gets a slight reprieve from the intense precipitation that has thrown life out of gear and disrupted crop harvesting and planting, BNN Bloomberg reported on October 18.

Météo-France has declared an orange alert for the southwest region through Friday, October 18th afternoon, with some areas set to be lashed by as much as 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain brought on by the remnants of Storm Leslie in the Atlantic.

As climate change brings more intense rainfall across the world, disruptive storms will become 50% more frequent in central Europe and drop 5% more rain if warming reaches 2C, according to a recent study. With the continent warming faster than other parts of the world, tackling adaptation is likely to become costlier.

“To adapt to climate change and to fight against greenhouse gas, we’re not there yet in terms of budget,” French Energy and Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told lawmakers Friday as they started work on next year’s budget. She called for more government funds to finance cleaner heating projects and adaptation programs.

Over the last few days parts of France have witnessed the heaviest rainfall in 20 years, local TV station La Chaîne Météo reported. Through Thursday night northern areas like the Centre-Val de Loire and Ile-de-France were hit hard. Many streets in the suburbs of Paris were flooded.

There were news reports of damage to infrastructure and power outages in southeastern France on Friday. Local TV stations showed cars being swept away by the floodwater.

“Some places in Ardeche got 700 millimeters of rain in 48 hours, which is more than what Paris gets in a year,” Pannier-Runacher said. “This is unprecedented.”

The bad weather has also taken a toll on Europe’s biggest agriculture producer. France’s corn harvest is progressing at the slowest pace in 11 years, with only 13% of the crop cut as of Oct. 14, compared with the 55% five-year average, according to FranceAgriMer data. French soft-wheat and winter barley plantings have also been delayed with fields already saturated from the wettest September in 25 years.

Paris wheat futures for December delivery gained 0.4% on the open, with the contract on track for its fourth week of gains.

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