Météo-France has placed the departments of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales under an orange alert for heavy rain, flooding and severe thunderstorms from midday on Saturday, 12 July. The agency warns that storm cells could dump 50 to 80 millimetres of rain in a short period, with cumulative totals reaching 100 to 120 millimetres locally. The storms may also bring hailstones several centimetres in diameter, intense lightning and strong gusts of wind. Météo-France expects the most active phase to last through the afternoon and early evening. If conditions ease as forecast, the alert level should be reduced to yellow by about 20:00.