Seine bursts its banks in Paris

PARIS — Floodwaters were nearing their peak in Paris on Saturday, with the rain-swollen Seine River engulfing scenic quays and threatening wine cellars and museum basements.

Unusually heavy rains have engorged the Seine and other rivers in the region, forcing a halt to all boat traffic in Paris, including tourist cruises.

Some quay-side restaurants were submerged, and some roads and parks were closed as a precautionary measure — along with the bottom floor of the Louvre Museum.

Groundwater was also seeping into some Paris cellars, and authorities warned residents of some neighborhoods to remove any valuables.

However, authorities said Saturday that the flooding won’t be as bad as forecast earlier this week.

The river is expected to peak in Paris today at 19 feet and 8 inches on the Austerlitz scale — below level reached in exceptional floods in 2016, and well below the 28 feet hit in record floods in 1910.

In normal times, the river measures about 5 feet on the Austerlitz scale.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated along the Seine, but no deaths or injuries have been reported.