A Jaundiced Sky and a Sub-Biblical Flood

It has rained for days and all the rivers are up. Here the flood meadows are deep in water. Further to the south-west, Saintes has been evacuated. And to top it off, on Saturday, the sky went an eery yallery greenery colour, with dust brought in by the Sirocco from the Sahara.

The Indre has cut the D592 at Perusson. The raised walkway on the left tells you that this is not an unusual event.

Apparently the orange sky is quite a common winter phenomenon in the south-east, but not so much in the Loire Valley. Typically it is accompanied by mild temperatures and then rain which brings the fine Saharan sand down to earth. Here it just causes comment, but further south, closer to the source, it can disrupt air transport.

The Indrois on the left of the road and the Indre on the right. The road forms a dyke at this point near Azay sur Indre.

This flood is a fairly typical seasonal event. It's cut a few roads and put a few riverside car parks under water. The authorities are warning people not to go down to their cellars and not to try to drive through water that is 30 cm or more deep.

Reignac sur Indre in the rain.

Indre et Loire is one of 14 'counties' that came under a orange (now downgraded to yellow) flood warning in the last few days. The Loire was still rising on Saturday, and had cut some popular walking paths in Amboise. The main concern is the Vienne at Chinon and Candes Saint Martin, which we have watched steadily rise over the past few days.
 

Azay sur Indre in the rain.

 

However, this is nothing compared to the levels of the June 2016 flood, and even further from the mega floods of the 19th century. The authorities are at pains to point out that it isn't unusual, and there is nothing to cause particular concern.

Flooding on the Indre. Note the barbecue in the middle of the picture.

 

Anyone with a garden on the banks of the Loire, Cher or Indre is being advised to just stay indoors.

Flooding on the Indre. The corrugated iron hut belongs to an angler.

 

The Loire has peaked at about 4.5 metres above normal, but we are faring a lot better than those in the south-west of France.

Flood marker in Reignac. The levels are expressed as Nivellement Général de la France (0 level is sea level based on the tide at Marseille).

 

A street in Loches in the rain.

The inundated flood meadows of the Indre seen from the heights of Loches.

The Indre in spate at Loches.

Driving through Loches in the rain.

************************************************

For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos.