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Paris is suffering the worst flooding in more than 100 years today forcing the Louvre to evacuate 250,000 pieces of art to safety from its basements.

Parisians were urged to avoid the banks of the river which was expected to reach a peak of 19ft as it emerged torrential heavy rain had killed 14 across Europe.

The Louvre, the most visited gallery in the world containing masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, has been forced to close to protect its treasures.

Its cellars were cleared of artifacts for the first time since the Nazi Occupation during the Second World War.  

Parisians have been urged to avoid the banks of the river Seine which was expected to reach a peak of 19ft on Friday.

The Louvre, the most visited gallery in the world has been forced to close to protect its treasures while work is underway to move some of its artwork.

Boxes containing valuable artworks from the Louvre reserves are stored among statues in one of the museum's exhibition rooms after they were evacuated from the basement amid flooding fears.

Boxes containing valuable artworks from the Louvre reserves are being stored among statues in one of the museum's exhibition room.

The River Seine in Paris reached its highest level in three decades Friday, spilling its banks. Residents are pictured being rescued in Nemours, Paris.

A swollen River Seine, which had burst its banks in some areas close to the Eiffel Tower, which was also shrouded in clouds.

Days of torrential rain have only added to the gloomy atmosphere in France, also facing a third full day of train strikes after months of political turmoil.

France's prime minister says the government has activated a crisis cell as the country faces the prospect of continued flooding.

French environment officials say the Seine River will reach its maximum level late Friday as rainfall across the country begins to taper off.

French energy company Enedis says that more than 20,000 customers are without power in the wake of days of flooding and heavy rains.

Traffic in Paris was snarled as flooding choked roads and several railway stations were shut. The Seine had not reached such levels since 1982.

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.

A traffic sign stands in a flooded road in Paris. Both the Louvre and Orsay museums were closed as the Seine, which officials said was at its highest level in nearly 35 years, was expected to peak sometime later today.

Some towns in central France have been hit by their worst floods in over a century, with more than 5,000 people evacuated since the weekend and around 19,000 homes without power. This was the scene in Paris yesterday.

The 'Ile de France' Region and Paris are particularly affected by heavy flooding after the torrential rains in recent days.

The Seine, which officials said was at its highest level in nearly 35 years, was expected to peak sometime later on Friday.

Cars parked under the Asnieres bridge were submerged in the wake of the heavy rains in Asnieres, a northern suburb of Paris.

Residents and visitors to Paris were unable to go for a stroll along the banks of the River Seine as flooding cut off pavements and roads.

The Bir Hakeim bridge in central Paris close to the Eiffel Tower saw water creep up as the flood waters threatened the French capital.

The subway of Paris is not running as water rises near the area of the Louvre Museum and the Seine river's embankments overflow.

An aerial view of the capital shows how the water levels in the Seine have risen to critical levels. The city has been put on high flooding alert.

Scores of homes have been flooded in the town of Nemours south of Paris.

A car gradually becomes submerged by flood water from the river Seine.

Tourists unable to get into museums and attractions instead spent time taking pictures of the rising flood waters.

Cars stand in muddy water in a flooded area of the town of Nemours south of Paris. Thousands have been evacuated across France.

Rescue workers on small boats attend an evacuation operation for residents of the edge of the Seine river in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris.

The flooding comes during a nationwide industrial dispute, which has seen strike action everywhere, including on trains and buses.

Forecasters in both France and Germany have warned of more downpours over the next 24 hours. This was the scene after floods in Simbach, Bavaria.

Roads collapsed and cars were swept away as rivers burst their banks and floodwater swamped towns. A collapsed road is pictured in Simbach.

People wade behind a mud-covered car on a flooded road near Nassogne, in the Ardenne region of southern Belgium this morning.

A man wades through muddy water in Belgium after heavy rain sparked flooding around the burst banks of a river.