As storm Nils made its way towards the east of the country (the Alps and Corsica), the red flood alert was maintained in the 2 departments of Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne. 23 departments were still under orange alert, and 450,000 homes were without electricity on Friday, according to Enedis, which described it as an event "of historic proportions." A new low-pressure system from Spain was expected to hit France on Friday (13 February).
© Chambre Agriculture des Pyrénées-Orientales
"The situation is particularly worrying for artichoke crops"
The Pyrénées-Orientales Chamber of Agriculture has produced an initial report on the storm's aftermath, describing the situation as "particularly worrying for artichoke crops." In the Roussillon plain and the Têt valley, many plots are showing flattened or broken plants. In some plots, the artichokes are lying on the rows and on tractor tracks, making any intervention (harvesting or treatment) extremely difficult without generating additional losses. We will need a few more days to accurately assess the extent of the losses and monitor the progress of the severely damaged plants."
Significant damage has been reported to greenhouses, shelters, and livestock buildings: broken glass in glass greenhouses, tarpaulins torn off tunnels and multi-hood greenhouses, which is also causing damage to lettuce crops, as well as bent hoops and crushed tunnels in some places.
Some orchards (peaches, apricots, and kiwis) were crushed by falling trees.
"Harvests of greenhouse crops will be affected or lost"
In the Basque Country, the ELB union is talking about major damage to vegetable produce following the storm. Greenhouses are torn off, tarpaulins need to be replaced, and windbreaks need to be repaired. "Greenhouse crops will be affected or even lost." The union is calling on the government to recognize the state of natural disaster and to initiate the agricultural disaster process to limit the economic losses suffered by farms as quickly as possible.
In the Landes department, vegetable growers have reported that their greenhouses have been "ravaged by the wind." In Tarn-et-Garonne, several crops (such as cabbage) were drowned. In Lot-et-Garonne, damage was observed on winter crops (plots under water), in orchards, and in strawberry greenhouses.
Oriana depression in France
From Friday, a new low-pressure system from Spain was set to hit the country, mainly along the Mediterranean coast. Named Oriana by the Aemet, it is expected to bring heavy rain, strong gusts of wind, and snowfall in some places.
