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A major flood · 2026

Floods, Aude and 2 other départements, January 2026

AudeHéraultPyrénées-Orientales
In blue, the communes declared for this flood: this blue is not the water. In white, the water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1). In coral, the Natura 2000 sites and those under regulatory protection, in bright coral their part within that area. Hover over a département to read its name. Map: Animalert, from GASPAR (Géorisques), Copernicus EMS, Global Flood Monitoring (© European Union) and IGN ADMIN EXPRESS. Contains modified Copernicus Emergency Management Service information (2026)

  • 3,267 hectares of water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1)

  • 1,484 hectares in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection

    45% of the observed flooded area

  • 193 protected animal species recorded within reach in the ten years before the flood

  • 9 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not

    birds: by their population in the flood's season
Communes declared
104
Dates per the orders
17 to 25 January 2026
Départements
Aude, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales
Flood type
river flooding, runoff or mudflow, rising groundwater
Heaviest rainfall
146 mm
in one day (Hérault, 17 January 2026), CASTANET LE HAUT station · per Météo-France
  1. 12 January 2026: 0.4 mm
  2. 13 January 2026: 3 mm
  3. 14 January 2026: 1.6 mm
  4. 15 January 2026: 13.9 mm
  5. 16 January 2026: 23.8 mm
  6. 17 January 2026: 146 mm
  7. 18 January 2026: 87 mm
  8. 19 January 2026: 20 mm
  9. 20 January 2026: 9.7 mm

183.7 mm from 15 to 17 Jan, up to the wettest day

The flood's dates

Peak discharge
990 m³/s
L'Aude à Saint-Marcel-sur-Aude, on 19 January 2026 · provisional Hub'Eau value, it can be revised
Extent
water detected by radar (Copernicus GFM, Sentinel-1)
3,267 ha

Protected species recorded within reach

Observations recorded in the ten years before the flood, some known only to within a few kilometres, up to 10 km, when their published position is blurred or given by grid square. They tell which species were reported there, not what became of each animal.

  • 826 species recorded within reach

  • 193 protected animal species among them and 6 protected plants

  • 9 animal species threatened on the national Red List, protected or not (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)

  • 171 Birds

  • 8 Reptiles

  • 8 Amphibians

  • 3 Insects

  • 3 Mammals, bats included

For birds, the category is the one of their population at the flood's season (breeding, wintering or passage birds): a bird with no dated record within reach in that season in the GBIF data has none, and the breeding category needs at least two dated records in June or July. In the migration season (March, August to October), a bird that neither the passage list nor the wintering list assesses takes its breeding category only if it was recorded at least twice within reach in June or July. The list used is named under each species.

The most notable protected animal species

Species with at least three observations (for a bird, three in the months that give it its category, and no bird without a record at the flood's season), the most threatened first, then the most recorded. An observation is a published record: it can count one or several animals, and the same animal can be noted several times. When their published position is imprecise, blurred or given by grid square, they are said to be "within reach or nearby".

Birds

The observations cover every season: a migrant bird recorded there may have been away on the day of the flood.

Amphibians

Reptiles

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0, public domain). Credit for each photo

In the water's path

Establishments registered today within reach of the flood, at their declared address or at the point Géorisques gives. They were not necessarily there on the day of the flood, and the dataset does not say whether they were flooded. An ICPE-classified farm can also be in the SIRENE register: these counts do not add up.

  • No ICPE-classified livestock farm located within the flood's reach

    Géorisques · ICPE

  • 2 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register based within the flood's reach

    SIRENE register · Insee

  • No veterinary practice based within the flood's reach

    SIRENE register · Insee

  • No animal protection association based within the flood's reach

    National register of associations

  • No wildlife association based within the flood's reach

    National register of associations

Of the 2 livestock businesses in the SIRENE register: 1 horse farm and 1 poultry farm.

A wildlife association is an association whose declared purpose in the national register of associations is the preservation of wildlife: the register does not say whether it runs an authorised care centre. Associations are counted at their declared address: an association or a care centre based outside the area can work across all of it.

Protected areas within reach

Area of each site within reach of the flood, and the share of the site it represents. Natura 2000 and regulatory protection first, then the ZNIEFF.

A marsh can be designated twice under Natura 2000, for its habitats and for its birds: when both sites carry the same name, or have the same extent and almost the same area here, they share one row. Natura 2000 areas overlap and do not add up. A ZNIEFF is a wildlife inventory, with no regulatory protection.

The declared communes

104 communes declared a natural disaster (flood) for this flood, département by département.

AudeSee the 95 communes

Aigues-Vives, Albas, Argeliers, Argens-Minervois, Armissan, Auriac, Azille, Badens, Bages, Belvianes-et-Cavirac, Bizanet, Bize-Minervois, Blomac, Boutenac, Camps-sur-l'Agly, Capendu, Cascastel-des-Corbières, Caunes-Minervois, Comigne, Conilhac-Corbières, Coursan, Cuxac-d'Aude, Davejean, Durban-Corbières, Embres-et-Castelmaure, Espéraza, Fabrezan, Félines-Termenès, Ferrals-les-Corbières, Feuilla, Fitou, Fleury, Fontcouverte, Fontjoncouse, Fraissé-des-Corbières, Ginestas, Greffeil, Gruissan, La Redorte, Laroque-de-Fa, Laure-Minervois, Leucate, Lézignan-Corbières, Mailhac, Malves-en-Minervois, Marcorignan, Marseillette, Massac, Mirepeisset, Montbrun-des-Corbières, Montréal, Montredon-des-Corbières, Montséret, Moussan, Moux, Narbonne, Névian, Ornaisons, Ouveillan, Palairac, Paraza, Paziols, Pépieux, Peyriac-de-Mer, Peyriac-Minervois, Portel-des-Corbières, Pouzols-Minervois, Pradelles-Cabardès, Puichéric, Quintillan, Rieux-Minervois, Roquecourbe-Minervois, Roquefort-des-Corbières, Roubia, Saint-André-de-Roquelongue, Saint-Couat-d'Aude, Saint-Frichoux, Saint-Jean-de-Barrou, Saint-Marcel-sur-Aude, Sainte-Valière, Saissac, Sallèles-d'Aude, Salles-d'Aude, Sigean, Trausse, Tuchan, Ventenac-en-Minervois, Villardonnel, Villedaigne, Villegly, Villeneuve-les-Corbières, Villeneuve-Minervois, Villerouge-Termenès, Villesèque-des-Corbières, Vinassan

HéraultSee the 5 communes

La Caunette, Oupia, Prémian, Quarante, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières

Pyrénées-OrientalesSee the 4 communes

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda, Perpignan, Port-Vendres, Prugnanes

Download this flood's data

In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20260117-20260120-11. Its dates were frozen when the identifier was created and differ here from the flood's.

Download the datasetdata.gouv.fr

Recognised and listed