Orange storm warning for 14 regions

The Météo France map shows Allier, the Ardennes, Aube, Cher, Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Indre, Marne, Meuse, Nièvre, Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Vienne and Yonne all on orange ‘high vigilance’ alert.

Storms are predicted to last from 16h this afternoon to 6.00 tomorrow. The warning advises people to avoid using telephones and electronic devices and to stay under cover when a storm approaches.

A thunderstorm will develop in the evening in northern Aquitaine, spreading to Burgundy and the German border, with marked rainfall and strong storms accompanied by hail. The weather will be calmer in the Ardennes, with cloudy but bright skies. A few showers may fall along the Channel.

Afternoon temperatures in the coming days could reach as high as 39 degrees Celsius in the south-east, while weather in the north will be more unpredictable, with alternating cold and warm spells.