Storm Herminia has unleashed downpours in western France, with parts of Brittany put on red weather alert Monday, while eight other French departments were put on orange alert for flooding, flash

Torrential rain, gusting winds, and major flooding caused widespread travel disruption, prompting evacuations and a series of red weather alerts

Residents in western France used boats to escape their flooded homes on Monday as rivers and waterways overflowed their banks following successive storms that battered Normandy and Brittany. According to the Associated Press, the national weather service had issued flood and wind warnings as Storm Herminia hit Spain, France and parts of the UK.

Rennes, France: Residents in north-western France have used boats to escape their flooded homes as rivers and waterways broke their banks after successive storms battered Normandy and Brittany.

Storm Herminia caused road closures in some areas of France. About 400 people were evacuated from homes in and around the city of Rennes, at the heart of the hardest-hit region. The mayor called it the city's worst flooding in more than 40 years and said in a statement that the waters weren't expected to start receding until Wednesday.

Storm Herminia triggered the worst flooding in four decades in parts of northwest France and created dangerous avalanche conditions in the Alps.