Climate change means more extreme dry weather and more extreme wet weather, explains climatologist Aurélien Ribes.

France remains on alert for heavy rain and flooding in the southwest while the north gets a slight reprieve from the intense precipitation that has thrown life out of gear and disrupted crop harvesting and planting.

France is currently experiencing a meteorological episode of rare intensity. Experts are worried about the arrival of devastating floods. On Wednesday and Thursday, rain was expected across the entire southern half of France.

Massive floods caused serious damage and power outages on Friday in parts of France's mountainous southeast region after days of heavy rain, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

People recount being trapped for hours by raging floods in France :: Givors, France:::: Julie Fourlon, Store worker "I was at work, I work at Intersport. I was at work, and the water rose all of a sudden in the parking lot.

Parts of southeast France have experienced severe flooding, resulting in significant damage and widespread power outages after days of relentless rainfall. Fortunately, there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but the impacts of the flooding have been extensive.

Floods engulfed parts of north-central Italy from overflowing rivers following days of heavy rain, prompting the state-led road operator to close some expressways.

An "avalanche of water" in northeast Italy claimed one life and left swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region under water Sunday, local officials said.

Major flooding has occurred in several regions throughout the country since yesterday afternoon, leaving several towns completely underwater

Since yesterday, fierce storms have pummeled Northern Italy, forcing firefighters to complete over 350 rescue operations across Liguria, Emilia Romagna, and Tuscany. Intense rainfall triggered widespread flooding,