Why did peaceful rivers in southwestern France turn into raging torrents? Among the main reasons: the thermometer that plays yo-yo. As in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, where it was less than 5°C on average in the middle of last week, against 12°C this morning at 9am. This is well above the average for the season.
However, in recent days, snow has fallen in abundance. With the thaw, the sudden melting of the snow coupled with heavy rains swells the waterways. They meet in these towns to form the Gave d’Oloron which travels about sixty kilometers to Peyrehorade, another town hit hard by these bad weather.
If the rains should lose intensity in the next few hours, the episode is not over yet.
Are these recurrent floods due to excessive urbanization, as in the Southeast for example? Not according to the mayor of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Bernard Uthurry, who believes that this repetition testifies to climate change. This region, close to the ocean, normally enjoys a rather stable and temperate climate.