ISTANBUL

French authorities placed 19 departments on orange alert Wednesday as Storm Nils brought heavy rain, flood risks and strong winds to large parts of the country, according to Meteo-France.

The national weather agency said the storm system would affect France from Wednesday through Thursday, bringing “violent winds and further significant rainfall in many regions.”

Six departments -- Vendee, Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Landes, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud -- were placed on orange alert for strong winds. Puy-de-Dome and Cantal were under alert for heavy rain, while 13 other departments, including Ariege, Morbihan and Vendee, faced flood warnings.

An additional 24 departments are expected to be placed on orange alert Thursday.

Meteo-France forecasts wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), with winds possibly reaching 140 to 160 km/h (87 to 99 mph) in Corsica. Along the Atlantic coast, gusts of 120 to 140 km/h (75 to 87 mph) are expected, while inland southwestern areas could see winds of 100 to 110 km/h (62 to 68 mph), with locally stronger gusts during thunderstorms.

The Vigicrues flood monitoring service described the situation as a “significant, long-lasting and widespread flooding episode” affecting much of the country, noting that soils are already saturated after weeks of persistent rain.

In a statement Tuesday evening, the Ecological Transition Ministry said heavy rainfall has affected France for several weeks, with Brittany particularly hard hit, and warned that river levels are rising across much of the western half of the country.

Authorities cautioned that continued rainfall throughout the week could cause more rivers to overflow and prompt additional departments to be placed on alert, particularly in the southwest.