Yesterday, Thursday, October 23, 2025, Storm Benjamin passed through the Alpes-Maritimes. It produced gusts of up to 144 km/h and more than 700 emergency calls. Despite the intensity of this meteorological phenomenon, the outcome remains limited with four minor injuries and moderate material damage.
The Alpes-Maritimes department was placed under an orange alert for “strong winds” from 2 PM to 6 PM yesterday, Thursday, October 23. Météo France had also issued a yellow alert for “thunderstorms” from 8 AM. The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes activated the Departmental Operational Center from 1 PM to 6:30 PM, remaining on standby until the end of the yellow alert at 8 PM.
In Nice, Christian Estrosi activated the City and Metropolitan Command Post at City Hall at noon. More than 110 city and metropolitan officials were deployed throughout the territory to handle incidents. They responded to over 80 situations, 36 of which were still being managed at the end of the day. These interventions mainly concerned fallen branches, trees, stones, and urban furniture.
In Nice itself, a tree required evacuation on Route de Saquier. The road was reopened in the evening. One minor injury was reported in the city due to a fallen branch. Flights departing from and arriving at Nice airport experienced delays due to wind shear near the runway.
Exceptional Gusts and Numerous Interventions
The weather conditions were particularly violent in some areas. The prefecture recorded gusts reaching 144 km/h in Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne, 124 km/h in Mandelieu, and 103 km/h in Mas. In the afternoon, gusts of 100 to 110 km/h swept the Grasse foothills to the Levens area, before dropping to 80-90 km/h from 5 PM. On the coast, gusts averaged 70 to 80 km/h.
The South/Southwest wind caused waves reaching two meters on the coast. The marine alert is maintained until noon today, with maritime activities strongly discouraged.
Firefighters received nearly 700 calls within a dozen hours for 150 interventions. The gendarmerie conducted 16 interventions. About 50 municipalities in the department activated their Local Command Post.
In Vence, nearly 300 users were left without electricity. Enedis teams intervened quickly, and the situation was fully restored by 5 PM. In the entire department, around 3,100 households were temporarily without electricity, mainly in the Grasse area. By Friday morning at 9 AM, 600 homes were still without power in the Alpes-Maritimes and 250 in the Var. About 200 Enedis agents were mobilized on the ground since Thursday to restore the power supply.
Tree and rock falls caused temporary disruptions on some road and rail routes. In Eze, a landslide occurred on the middle corniche at Brasca. Debris fell onto the slow lane. A geologist is scheduled to visit the site this Friday morning to determine if purges are necessary. Traffic has been maintained in both directions.
Four minor injuries were reported in the department. In Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a tourist was injured in the head due to a fallen stone, not requiring medical attention from the firefighters. In Gréolières, two people were slightly injured from a tent blowing away. In Tourrettes-sur-Loup, a minor injury was reported after a flowerpot fell.
A family had to be relocated by the Roquefort-les-Pins city hall after a tree fell onto their home’s roof. Additionally, a firefighter boat and a national navy helicopter were mobilized to rescue three kitesurfers in distress off the coast of Cannes and Antibes, who had taken risks given the weather situation.
The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes thanked the entire population for respecting safety instructions. The behaviors displayed helped to keep the damage limited.
