Nantes, France – Video filmed by X user Erwan Huchet shows sobering handheld footage along the overflowing banks of the Loire River on February 20, 2026.

The images come after an unprecedented 45 days of relentless rain in the west, eight successive depressions, and upstream cities already submerged. No sandbags or protective measures are visible on the riverfront as waters surge dangerously close to urban areas.

The clip opens on a wide, murky expanse of the swollen Loire. Brown, churning water swallows the usual riverbanks and presses against paved paths.

Bare trees stand half-submerged, their branches mirrored in the muddy flow, with distant apartment blocks under overcast skies.

As the camera pans left, grassy medians appear transformed into swamps. Debris-strewn sidewalks vanish under the tide.

The river’s edge blurs into a seamless lake threatening nearby benches and bollards, with no barriers in sight to stop the advance.

Closer views show water pooling over cobblestone walkways and covering low walls and picnic areas in a quiet park.

The current swirls around a red lifebuoy station and fallen branches, underscoring the raw power of the flood without a single defensive sack or reinforcement visible.

Outlets including France 3 Regions, Ouest France, Le Monde, Le Figaro, and RTL reported on the historic crue.

Loire Atlantique has been under red vigilance since February 19, with projections of water levels reaching 5.84 meters by February 22, potentially rivaling the 1983 flood, after 37 consecutive days of precipitation, the longest since records began in 1959.

The Loire peaked at 8.18 meters in Nantes on February 19, its highest this century. Authorities evacuated 71 people, closed roads including parts of the peripherique, and suspended trains between Nantes and Angers.

Officials warned flooding could continue through the weekend and beyond due to saturated soils and continued upstream inflows.

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