an unprecedented level of precipitation in France

“Between All Saints’ Day and Advent, expect rain and wind! » Rarely has a saying been verified as accurately as this fall in France. Météo-France has never measured such a high cumulative average precipitation over a period of twenty-six days: 215.4 millimeters between October 18 and November 12, beating a previous thirty-year-old record (196.9 mm). between September 21 and October 16, 1993).

The trend continued in the following days: the average precipitation recorded for the month of November (101.50 mm) was already exceeded halfway through the month, with 107.43 mm between the 1^er and November 15.

If we consider the cumulative rainfall since the beginning of the year, the excess measured on November 15 is “only” 85 mm (i.e. + 12%), according to data from Infoclimat.fr, because France experienced a significant deficit in precipitation in the first half of the year. The amount of rain that fell caused the indicators to go from deficit to surplus. But beyond a certain level of precipitation, when the soils and watercourses are saturated, they can no longer absorb more: the risk of flooding is at its highest, as in current Pas-de-Calais. november.