Storm Pedro brings flooding to France as Spain braces for its 11th major storm in six weeks

Western Europe has been battered by a relentless spate of major storms in quick succession, forcing evacuations and school closures

France ordered the evacuation of hundreds of residents as Storm Pedro brought violent winds and flooding, leaving at least one person missing.

Maine-et-Loire, Charente-Maritime, Gironde, and Lot-et-Garonne were all on red alert for flooding on Wednesday as heavy rainfall buffeted the south of the country, still reeling from a string of devastating storms since the start of the year.

Maine-et-Loire has ordered the evacuation of some 900 residents, but many refused the order and stayed in their homes, according to local media. One man in his fifties went missing in the department late on Tuesday while trying to cross the swollen Loire River by kayak.

Prefect François Pesneau told French outlet BFMTV there was “very little chance of finding this person” due to the strong currents as searches resumed this morning. The gendarmerie said two other people were rescued after their boats capsized at around 11pm last night.

The Charente river burst its banks, bringing flooding to Saintes (pictured, Wednesday) (AFP via Getty Images)

Powerful gusts of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were still expected in the Roussillon region, in the southeast, while Brittany and Paris, further north, were awaiting “remarkable” levels of rainfall reaching as much as 50mm in some parts.

Spain was also bracing for strong winds and snowfall on Wednesday as the adverse weather moved south, with Pedro on course to become the 11th named storm to strike the country in just six weeks.

France was preparing for the worst of the rainfall, anticipating a water level of nearly 6.5 metres in Cheffes-sur-Sarthe, in Maine-et-Loire, overnight into Thursday. Eighteen roads have so far been closed in preparation, the prefecture said in a statement.

Lucie Chadourne-Facon, director of flood monitoring service Vigicrues, told Le Monde: “We have exceptional and widespread flooding across the entire region, which will continue for some time. It’s going to be a very difficult week. The situation remains very problematic.”

She assessed heavy rainfall was quickly replenishing burst waterways, with no indication the floods were starting to recede.

Hundreds of people were told to leave their homes in France due to flooding (Saintes pictured today) (AFP via Getty Images)

Bruno Marty, the mayor for La Réole, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, told BFMTV on Wednesday the situation only appeared to be getting worse.

"We thought there would be a respite... but today we have a rebound," he said. "We have no idea how long this could last. (...) We might have some hope on Sunday of a real drop in water levels."

Mathieu Lefevre, the minister for ecological transition, said 20,000 people remained without power on Wednesday morning.

Weather warnings were also introduced along the northern coast of Spain on Wednesday, while the east was anticipating winds of up to 90 km/h, according to state meteorological agency AEMET.

Storm Pedro would be the 16th to arrive in Spain this season, one short of the historical record, AEMET reported, warning it would cause “very strong winds and rough seas” today and tomorrow.

Wind gusts are to sweep through southern France and eastern Spain on Thursday (Meteored)

Since January, the country has been shaken by storms Francis, Goretti, Harry, Ingrid, Joseph, Kristin, Leonardo, Marta, Nils and Oriana. Pedro would be the 11th in six weeks.

Orange warnings for ‘significant danger’ were in place today across the northern coastline, from Rias Baixas in the west all the way to the Basque Country near France.

Northeastern Spain was expected to see stronger winds into Thursday, with Tarragona bearing the brunt of 110 km/h (68mph) gusts. Barcelona was expected to see maximum wind speeds of 70 km/h (44 mph).

Andalusia also had orange alerts in place for a high risk of strong winds and rough seas. Mountainous regions are likely to see snowfall at between 1,200 and 1,500 metres, though AEMET said Pedro could bring it as low as 700 metres.

Successive storms gave Spain its gloomiest January in 30 years, recording the fewest hours of sunshine since 1996.

The country is still reeling from the effects of storms Leonardo, Marta and Nils which have forced evacuations, left thousands without power and caused major travel disruptions.

Catalonia last week had to suspend classes for students and shut parks throughout Barcelona as 105 km/h (65mph) winds felled trees.