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A major flood · 2020

Storm Alex (October 2020)

On 2 October 2020, the Météo-France station at Saint-Martin-Vésubie recorded the heaviest one-day rainfall of the dataset's major floods in mainland France. On the sectors mapped by Copernicus EMS, nearly half of the observed flooded area is in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection. The water covered more than a quarter of the Natura 2000 site of the basse vallée du Var. In the valleys, it also covered part of two Natura 2000 sites, one designated for bats at Breil-sur-Roya, the other for speleomantes, small cave salamanders, at Roquebillière. 111 protected animal species had been recorded in the zone over the previous ten years, 105 of them birds, along with the Mediterranean barbel, a freshwater fish protected on its spawning grounds.

Alpes-MaritimesVar
In blue, the communes declared for this flood: this blue is not the water. In white, the flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors. 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 (© European Union) and IGN ADMIN EXPRESS

  • 606 hectares of flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors

  • 278 hectares in Natura 2000 or under regulatory protection

    46% of the observed flooded area

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

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

    birds: by their population in the flood's season
Communes declared
71
Dates per the orders
2 to 3 October 2020
Départements
Alpes-Maritimes and Var
Flood type
wave impact, river flooding, runoff or mudflow
Heaviest rainfall
513 mm
in one day (Alpes-Maritimes, 2 October 2020), SAINT MARTIN VESUBIE station · per Météo-France
  1. 27 September 2020: 3 mm
  2. 28 September 2020: 0.2 mm
  3. 29 September 2020: 0 mm
  4. 30 September 2020: 0 mm
  5. 1 October 2020: 1.8 mm
  6. 2 October 2020: 513 mm
  7. 3 October 2020: 0 mm
  8. 4 October 2020: no reading
  9. 5 October 2020: no reading

514.8 mm from 30 Sep to 2 Oct, up to the wettest day

The flood's dates

Peak discharge
2,781 m³/s
Le Var à Nice, Pont Napoléon III, aval, on 2 October 2020 · per Hub'Eau
Extent
flooded area observed by Copernicus EMS over the mapped sectors
606 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.

  • 461 species recorded within reach

  • 111 protected animal species among them and 1 protected plant

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

  • 105 Birds

  • 4 Insects

  • 2 Fish, molluscs and crayfish

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.

Insects

Fish, molluscs and crayfish

For fish, national protection (order of 8 December 1988) covers their eggs and spawning grounds: several are fished legally.

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

  • 1 livestock business 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

The one livestock business in the SIRENE register: 1 cattle, sheep, goat or pig 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 birds and for its habitats: the areas overlap and do not add up. A ZNIEFF is a wildlife inventory, with no regulatory protection.

The declared communes

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

Alpes-MaritimesSee the 70 communes

Andon, Antibes, Ascros, Bairols, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Belvédère, Bonson, Bouyon, Breil-sur-Roya, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Caille, Cap-d'Ail, Carros, Castagniers, Clans, Colomars, Conségudes, Coursegoules, Cuébris, Duranus, Escragnolles, Èze, Fontan, Gars, Gattières, Gilette, Gourdon, Ilonse, Isola, La Bollène-Vésubie, La Brigue, La Roquette-sur-Var, La Tour, Lantosque, Le Broc, Le Mas, Les Ferres, Levens, Malaussène, Marie, Massoins, Nice, Pierrefeu, Revest-les-Roches, Rimplas, Roquebillière, Roquestéron, Roubion, Roure, Saint-Auban, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage, Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Saint-Martin-du-Var, Saint-Martin-Vésubie, Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, Saorge, Sospel, Tende, Toudon, Tourette-du-Château, Tournefort, Utelle, Valdeblore, Valderoure, Venanson, Villars-sur-Var, Villefranche-sur-Mer

VarSee the commune

Fayence

Download this flood's data

In every file of the dataset, this flood carries the identifier EV-20201002-20201003-06.

Download the datasetdata.gouv.fr

Recognised and listed