Six departments in France have declared a state of high alert due to flooding caused by “exceptional rainfall”, which, according to the French meteorological agency, amounted to 630 mm in 48 hours in one area alone, Reuters reports.

The red alert area includes Lyon, the country's third-largest city, as well as Cannes.

Authorities said they had closed roads, evacuated nearby neighborhoods and asked residents not to endanger themselves when taking photos and videos.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries and it was unclear what the level of flood damage was.

The flooding in southern France comes a week after the remnants of Hurricane Kirk hit Western Europe and nearly a month after Cannes was hit by flash flooding. Earlier in September, central Europe was hit by the worst flooding in the region in at least two decades.