Overnight, wind gusts reached up to 162 km/h. The scale of the damage is significant – 850,000 people in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie remain without power, hundreds of roads are blocked by fallen trees, and rail and road traffic have been suspended in many places.
⚠️ La tempête Nils traverse le pays, générant des vents très violents.
🔴 Les Pyrénées-Orientales rejoignent l’Aude pour la Vigilance rouge vent ce jeudi
🔴 Vigilance rouge en Savoie pour les avalanches, et crues pour la Gironde et le Lot-et-Garonne.👉https://t.co/SBcDaJ44jS pic.twitter.com/c81U6sVjkB
— Météo-France (@meteofrance) February 12, 2026
Red alerts and an unprecedented avalanche threat
A red alert is currently in force in the following departments: Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Lot-et-Garonne, Gironde and Savoie. In the first two cases, the reason is violent winds; in Lot-et-Garonne and Gironde – flooding; and in Savoie – “significant avalanche risk”.
In the Alps, the highest level 5 avalanche risk has been declared. As the services emphasise, this is an exceptional situation – a red avalanche alert has been issued only for the third time in 25 years. The last time such a high level was in force was 17 years ago and it lasted only one day. Some ski resorts, including La Grave, have been closed, while others are operating partially.
Un chauffeur de poids lourd est mort dans les Landes et près de 850.000 foyers sont privés d’électricité ce jeudi matin avec le passage de la tempête Nils en France #canal16 pic.twitter.com/0GctqYkErh
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) February 12, 2026
Truck bans and “extremely difficult” conditions on motorways
For the transport industry, decisions regarding road traffic are crucial. Heavy goods vehicle traffic has been banned on the main roads in the Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales departments. The ban also covers sections of the A75 and A9 motorways in part of Hérault – the decision was taken by the Prefect of the Southern Defence and Security Zone.
Vinci Autoroutes reports “numerous interventions” and “exceptionally difficult conditions” on the A9 and A61 motorways.
You can check the current road situation on the government road information website “Bison Futé”.
Hundreds of blocked roads and a rapidly changing situation
In Aude, since 5 a.m., wind gusts of around 150 km/h have been recorded on the coast. Approximately 10 roads are blocked or impassable, and the situation is highly volatile. In the department, 769 firefighters and around sixty police and gendarmerie officers have been mobilised.
In Lot-et-Garonne, road blockages affect around fifty municipalities. Many routes remain impassable due to fallen trees. In Landes, many roads are still closed, and the prefect warns that weakened trees may still break, even though “the worst of the storm is already behind us”.
In the Bordeaux area, the wind uprooted trees, blocking streets and hindering passage, also for heavy goods vehicles.
#Intervention|| LESPIGNAN
Nous intervenons sur l’@A9Trafic PK175 voie nord Sens 1 pour 1 PL ayant percuté un pin tombé sur l’autoroute Prudence ⚠️ circulation sur 1 seule voie 1 blessé léger évacué sur l’hôpital de Beziers @Gendarmerie_034 +
patrouilleur sur les lieux #InfoFlash pic.twitter.com/zl0itcbm0A— Pompiers 34 🇫🇷 (@PompiersHerault) February 12, 2026
Rapidly rising rivers and evacuations
The hydrological situation is particularly tense between Lot-et-Garonne and Gironde. In Langon, the water level rose from 3.80 metres to 7.06 metres in less than 48 hours. In Cadillac, it exceeded 6 metres and may reach or exceed levels from previous major floods – 6.12 metres in January 2018 and 6.49 metres in March 2006.
In Gironde, approximately 30 residents of La Réole were evacuated as a precaution. Authorities are monitoring the level of the Garonne, which is still rising.
Power and rail disruption
According to Enedis, 850,000 homes remain without power, including 485,000 in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 318,000 in Occitanie.
In Aude, the number of customers without electricity rose in the morning to 25,000 in around sixty municipalities. In Lot-et-Garonne, 70,000 customers remain without power; in Tarn-et-Garonne, more than 29.5 thousand.
Disruptions have also affected rail transport. Since 5 a.m., trains have not been running between Bordeaux and Toulouse and between Agen and Périgueux. In Narbonne, almost all connections were cancelled until 10 a.m., and some high-speed services to Perpignan and Lyon remain suspended.
What this means for carriers
The situation is dynamic and varies by department. For transport companies, this primarily means:
- the need to continuously monitor announcements from prefectures and motorway operators,
- taking into account truck bans in Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales and on sections of the A75 and A9,
- the risk of sudden road closures due to fallen trees and local flooding,
- disruptions in border areas with Spain.
In many places, wind speeds exceeded 130 km/h, locally up to 162 km/h, posing a significant threat to articulated vehicles with large side surfaces.
Services emphasise that despite a gradual improvement in some departments, the threat has not passed. Weakened trees, high water levels and strong wind gusts continue to pose a serious risk to road traffic.
