Flooding of rivers and streams is a constant threat, and France is not spared from these natural variations. How can you monitor and be alerted to overflows and flooding due to flash floods with Vigicrues?
Which regions are affected by flooding?
France’s hydrographic basin is rich in varied watercourses in a wide range of climatic zones. It is divided into 6 main areas :
- Artois-Picardie
- Seine-Normandie
- Rhine-Meuse
- Loire-Bretagne
- Adour-Garonne
- Rhône-Méditerranée-corse
Map of hydrographic regions
For more detailed geographical information, the detailed map of the hydrographic regions completes the previous breakdown:
Waterways in France
This regional division is based on the geography of France’s rivers, streams and sensitive areas.
Rivers
France has several major rivers that cross the country, shaping its landscape and history. The Seine, Loire, Garonne and Rhône are among the most important inland. Their proximity to urban areas makes them all the more crucial to monitor.
For further information, here is the list and location of the 10 longest rivers in France:
- The Loire
1006 kilometres from Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc in Ardèche to theAtlantic Ocean and the Saint-Nazaireestuary in Loire-Atlantique. - The Seine
775 kilometres from Source-Seine in the Côte-d’Or to the English Channel between Le Havre in Seine-Maritime and Honfleur in Calvados. - The Rhône
543 kilometres, from the Rhône glacier in the Valais in Switzerland to its delta and the Mediterranean Sea in the Bouches-du-Rhône. - The Garonne
529 kilometres from the Spanish Pyrenees between Val d’Aran and Aragon to the Gironde and Dordogne estuaries. - The Meuse
flows for 486 kilometres from Châtelet-sur-Meuse in Haute-Marne to the Rhine delta in the Netherlands. - The Dordogne
flows for 483 kilometres from the Puy de Sancy in the Puy-de-Dôme to the Gironde and Garonneestuaries. - The Charente River
381 kilometres from Chéronnac in Haute-Vienne to its mouth on the Atlantic coast between Rochefort andOléron Island in Charente-Maritime. - The Adour
308 kilometres from the Campan valley in Bigorre in the Pyrenees to the Atlantic coast between Tarnos in the Landes and Bayonne in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. - The Somme
245 kilometres from the village of Fonsomme in the Aisne to the English Channel and the Bay of the Somme after Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme. - The Aude
224 kilometres from Les Angles in the Pyrénées-Orientales to the Mediterranean between Fleury in the Aude and Vendres in the Hérault.
Rivers
At the same time, a dense network of rivers winds its way through France. From the Dordogne to theAllier, via the Saône, these watercourses, although less imposing than the rivers, are no less prone to flash floods, which can cause considerable damage.
A list of France’s rivers can be found on Wikipedia here.
Sensitive areas and alluvial plains
Some regions are more vulnerable than others. Alluvial plains, which are often fertile and ideal for urban development, are particularly at risk. The risk maps drawn up by Vigicrues enable sensitive areas to be precisely identified.
Map of rivers
Here’s a map of France’s main rivers and tributaries to help you find your way around:
Flood watches and flood risks in France
France, with its picturesque rivers, majestic streams and navigable waterways, offers an impressive diversity of hydrographic features.
However, with this natural beauty comes the inherent risk of devastating floods.
As a result of exceptional rainfall, storms, seasonal variations and even snowmelt in some regions, water levels on rivers and watercourses can change suddenly.
In every department and region of France crossed by a river, near your home or close to where you are staying or on holiday, flash floods can have economic and tourist consequences.
In mainland France, 16.8 million people are exposed to the risk of flooding from overflowing rivers, and more than 9 million jobs are affected, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Territorial Cohesion*.
It is the number one natural hazard in France, accounting for 53% of the compensation paid for natural disasters since 1982, i.e. €7.3 billion.
That’s the wholepoint of Vigicrues,an automatic information service on the risk of flash flooding, to monitor, prevent and anticipate this regular hazard and the dangers that go with it.
Flood risk prevention
To make it easier to map and prevent the risk of flooding, a number of zones and designations have been introduced.
To find out more, you can obtain information or consult :
- Flood zone atlases (AZI)
- Areas at significant risk of flooding (TRI)
- Potential flood zones (ZIP)
- Flooded areas by water height class (ZICH)
- Approximate envelopes of potential flooding (EAIP)
To find out more about these acronyms and their regulatory and geographical frameworks, please consult the dedicated article, m’informer sur les inondations* on the Géorisques information website.
Prevention mapping tools
Would you like to check the risk of flooding in your area or elsewhere, based on an address, a cadastral parcel or a map? Here are some tools available online.
- Interactive riskmap
Offered by the government website Georisques and the French National Geological Survey (BRGM), it allows you to search for different risks, including flooding, using an interactive map or a location.
- Floodrisk assessment
Use a search form to obtain a map and detailed information on the main dangerous phenomena, including flooding, for an address or cadastral parcel.
This tool is used, in particular, when selling or buying a property to inform buyers and tenants(IAL*).
Flood watch with Vigicrues
The Vigicrues service is the permanent watchdog for the geography of France’s rivers, and is an essential bulwark to help people stay informed and safe in the face of flooding on France’s rivers.
In real time, this service provides constant monitoring of the main rivers, collecting and analysing meteorological and hydrological data to anticipate potential flooding.
The site is published by the Central Service for Hydrometeorology and Flood Forecasting Support(SCHAPI), a department of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
Mapping by river basin and watercourse, alert levels, territorial breakdown and customisable alerts are the main features.
Vigicrues in video
Alerts and maps with Vigicrues
The Vigicrues website or application allows you to monitor the state of the main rivers in the French regions on a daily basis, with regular data.
Alerts, newsflashes, a national information bulletin, territorial access, maps and a mobile application are just some of the new features.
Alert levels
3 alert levels Green requiring no particular vigilance :
RedRisk of major flooding.
Direct and widespread threat to the safety of people and property.
OrangeOrange: risk of flooding generating major overflows likely to have a significant impact on community life and the safety of property and people.
YellowYellow: risk of flooding leading to overflowing and localised damage, or rapid and dangerous rise in water levels, requiring particular vigilance, especially in the case of exposed and/or seasonal activities.
Maps and geography Vigicrues
Map zoning, geographical search and information by municipality allow you to find your territory by several observation entries.
Vigicrues zoning in France
There are four territorial zones in mainland France and one dedicated tooverseas territories, plus an interactive map to find your sector directly.
For each area, direct access to the river basin of your choice allows you to see thestate of the rivers in the area concerned, as well as any flooding and water levels.
Broken down by river basin, the interactive map gives access to the area according to the following geographical zoning:
- Gironde-Adour-Dordogne
- Garonne-Tarn-Lot
- Vilaine-Côtiers Bretons
- Downstream Maine-Loire
- Loire-Allier-Cher-Indre
- Vienne-Charente-Atlantique
- Northern basins
- Meuse-Moselle
- Rhine-Saar
- Seine aval-Côtiers Normands
- Seine upstream-Marne upstream
- Middle Seine-Yonne-Loing
- Rhône upstream-Saône
- Northern Alps
- Grand Delta
- Western Mediterranean
- Eastern Mediterranean (continental basin)
- Eastern Mediterranean (Corsica basin)
Overseas
- Meeting
- French Guiana
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Mayotte
Map of France Vigicrues
You can also use the map of France to find the river basin that interests you.
Geographical search
Another way of finding an area or a place in France is to use the geographical search engine with its drop-down menu. Simply enter the first few letters to obtain a pre-list.
Web application
A mobile version of Vigicrues is available for your phone or tablet. You can synchronise all the functions of the network’s tools with your account:
Key features
In 3 minutes, here is a video memo on the Vigicrues network tools:
Direct access to Vigicrues
And to consult the tool, go directly to the home page:
Rain, high water and flooding: other websites
To complete your search for information on heavy rainfall, flash floods and weather warnings, here are a few additional links.
APIC and Vigicrues Flash
Complementary to the main area, it provides rapid local information on :
- Intense rainfall at local level (APIC)
- Automatic flash flood detection (FLASH)
Flood markers
The national collaborative platform for flood markers provides access by map or by site to all the flood markers listed to date in France.
- Practical video explanation in less than 3 minutes:
A single space for 2 types of search, with photography, location and hydrography, by list or map:
Weather watch
Météo France’s flood, rain, wave and avalanche forecasts can be consulted on the same page for each département.
MeteoAlarm is a cross-border add-on for weather warnings by hazard type, including rain, flooding and rain flood in European countries:
Hydroportail
Hydroportail is a portal to quantitative data on water, giving access to the height and flow of rivers in France via 3,000 active stations that feed the national database:
Travel+
- Rain and flooding, let’s have the right reflexes
- Find out about flooding, GeoHazards
- Guide to flood-prone areas, SEDIPEC
- General information on flood risk in France, French Ministry of the Environment
- Flooding, the number one natural hazard in France
- Natural hazards in France, key figures
- IAL, filling in your risk report
- One million people live in flood-prone areas, INSEE
- Quiz and maps of French rivers
- List of rivers via Wikipedia
- Canals and waterways in France and towards Europe
- Watersheds in France and Europe (French)
- Flooding in France (French)
- Along the Rhône river