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Just Before the Swollen Seine...

6.07.2016
Paris Notre Dame by Catherine Goron
Paris Notre Dame by Catherine Goron

The morning before the continuous days of rain that caused Paris’ Seine River to swell, I went out to shoot on the banks of Ile Saint-Louis. It was a mild sunny morning sandwiched between the drizzly greys we’d been having, and to many Parisians, it was the perfect harbinger of summer. But little did we know...

The rain would return the following day and continue ceaselessly, causing flooding and considerable damage to homes and businesses and disruption to public transportation and the flow of normal commutes. Even the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay completely closed in order to move artwork to higher ground.

The images of the inundated French towns and the swollen Seine are startling, especially the before and after shots. My family went to visit the tip of Ile de la Cité yesterday where many go to picnic on the tip of Square du Vert-Galant only to find the entire island completely buried under water, as are all the banks! Rain is common in the city, but when it comes, it normally doesn’t last for days and days and cause such havoc. The 6.10 meter rise (about 20 feet) of the Seine River has been really something to behold and will take about a week or so for the levels to come down to normal, and though there is more rain in the forecast, we're crossing our fingers for the return of prolonged sunshine… there’s a lot of cleaning up to do!

11 comments

  1. Those floodings are so sad. The south part of our country had also floodings and heavy rains. But we a few kilometres north in Amsterdam we have no rains and the most beautiful weather. The weather is becoming very unpredictable.

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  2. Water can do unbelievable damage. I hope your skies remain clear for awhile. Here in the mountains of CO, after a very wet May, we could use some rain. Nature's dance is unpredictable. We're so busy from morning until evening, trying to clean the gardens. Soon there will be wildflowers and perennials to enjoy for a short while. I hope your family enjoys summer break after the waters recede.

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  3. The photos have been shocking. Thoughts and prayers with everyone in the city as you work to clean up and get back to normal...

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  4. Beautiful shots. I hope the damage has been minimal!

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  5. We've been seeing footage of the flooding on the TV news, and interviews with people at the Louvre regarding moving artworks. I hope that too much damage isn't done to beautiful Paris with the flooding. Stay dry Catherine.

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  6. I find people who still continue to say there is no global warming to be complete fools who seem to happy to deny the existence of a problem as the water washes in around their feet. I hope Paris gets some sunshine and the damage is too great

    Mollyxxx

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  7. I have just followed the link you provided to view the before and after scenes of the Seine flooding. I hope that the river water will recede, but undoubtedly have cause some damages and a messy cleanup afterwards.

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  8. Oh wow! I had not heard of this being common of the area before. I hope there is minimal disruption and damage.

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  9. I sat with my mouth open looking at the swollen Seine. I was there a few winters ago and just couldn't believe the water levels-beautiful photos...

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  10. Thank you so much ladies for your concern and kind comments... it definitely helped! That rainy week was followed by a week of sunshine and warm weather, and more importantly the water has receded. The islands and banks are visible once again! xo

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