Paris: French energy company Enedis says that more than 20,000 customers are without power in the wake of days of flooding and heavy rains.
In a text message, the company says that the blackouts on Friday are concentrated in the departments of Seine et Marne and Essonne - to the east and south of Paris, respectively.
Traffic in the capital was snarled as flooding choked roads and several Paris railway stations were shut. The country's environment ministry said the Seine had not reached such levels since 1982.
The Louvre Museum is closed Friday as staff work to remove artworks from rooms threatened by the rising waters.
French President Francois Hollande has said that a "natural disaster" will be formally declared next week in a Cabinet meeting for areas most affected by the flooding that has hit Paris and France's central regions.
