Roads were cut off and cars overturned after several months' worth of rain fell on the area overnight Sunday into Monday, causing rivers to flood.
A woman died in the village of Villardonnel, while four people died overnight in nearby Villegailhenc, authorities confirmed. A sixth person also died in the Aude region, they added later.
Another person was injured after a house collapsed in Cuxac, local official Alain Thirion said.
Seven hundred firemen and six helicopters have been mobilized in response to the flooding, which has reached unprecedented levels in the Aude valley according to France's flooding watchdog, Vigicrues.
The commune of Pezens has been evacuated and all schools in the department were closed on Monday. Local residents have been told to remain indoors.
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe will visit Aude on Monday to assess the damage.
Rescue operations are also underway in several other departments. The river in the commune of Conques in Aveyron swelled by six meters, making it difficult for emergency services to access the area.
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