Météo-France will give certified proof of a storm for insurance claims

Departments across southwest and central France are currently under orange storm alerts, with heavy winds, rain and hail expected at least until 6am tomorrow (September 9).

These weather conditions could cause flooding or lightning damage to property, and residents are advised to secure any possessions that are exposed to the elements.

Insurance companies are normally aware of extreme weather events, but in some cases, especially when the storm is very localised, they could ask for proof of what happened.

Obtaining a certificat d’intempéries

Météo-France offers a service that provides proof of weather conditions across the country and this certificat d’intempéries (“evidence of bad weather”) is accepted by all insurance companies.

The certificate covers a whole day, which may be useful for second-home owners who may not know the exact timings.

Météo-France also has an attestation de foudroiement (“lightning certificate”) which, while not confirming a strike on your home, gives proof of lightning and thunderstorms in a specific area of the country.

To support this, the weather research site keraunos.org studies lightning strikes and offers historic maps of affected areas.

Certificates can be ordered from services.meteofrance.com and cost €73.20 each.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Météo-France advises against paying by chèque, encouraging customers to use a debit card in order to avoid delays in the processing of their order.

“Despite our efforts to keep our services going, there may also be an extended wait for certificat d’intempéries orders,” the service said on its website.

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