Some of the worst floods in a century have hit the French capital, with the Seine expected to rise to six metres above its normal level today.
In Paris, the water levels have been described as the worst since the Great Flood of Paris in 1910.
The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay have both been closed, with the former employing the services of volunteers to remove artworks from its underground vaults for the first time since the Second World War.
Tourist cruises on the Seine have also been cancelled until further notice, while some of the city’s Metro stations have closed, including Invalides and St Michel. Many promenades along the Seine have also been closed.
The Arc du Triomphe is also closed today until 4pm.
Elsewhere, the 16th century Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley has been closed until at least Saturday night after its idyllic river-side position became more lake-side.
The flooding has not caused any disruption to Eurostar services, or air travel to or from the city. There is, however, disruption to the country’s rail network due to strikes (and unrelated to the weather).
The Eiffel Tower as well as other museums in Paris remain open.
More than 20,000 people have been evacuated in France since the weekend and around 19,000 homes were without power on Friday. At least two people have been killed in flooding across the country, including a man on horseback who died on Thursday after being swept away by a swollen river in Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerre. The body of an 86-year-old woman was found in her flooded house in Souppes-sur-Loing in central France, where some towns have been hit by the worst flooding in more than 100 years.
The French environment minister, Ségolène Royal, said she feared more bodies would be found as waters receded in villages in central France.
Elsewhere in Europe, authorities were counting the cost of the floods. German authorities said the body of a 65-year-old man was found overnight in the town of Simbach am Inn, bringing the country’s death toll over recent days to 10. In Belgium, rescue workers found the body of a beekeeper who was swept away by rising waters while trying to protect his hives in the village of Harsin.
In eastern Romania, two people died and 200 people were evacuated from their homes as floods swept the area.