Respite after two nights of storms

ILE-DE-FRANCE once again bore the brunt of the storms that swept across a large swathe of France overnight.

A day after the border between Yvelines and Val d’Oise was battered by hail, it was the turn of Essonne and Seine-et-Marne to face the full force of the weather.

Mormant, near Melun, was particularly affected. The storm broke numerous windows at one school and several properties suffered roof damage. In this town alone, emergency services were called out about 150 times.

But all 41 of the storm alerts issued by Météo France were lifted at 4am today. Earlier on Monday, the forecaster had put 32 departments on alert - but later added Ardennes, Marne, Meuse, Aube, Gers, Lot, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, and Hautes-Pyrénées.

It said that today is set fair across much of the country, but said thunder may rumble around the Alps towards the end of the morning.

The respite will be a relief for everyone still clearing up after the storms of Sunday night, when hail “the size of tennis balls” fell - and emergency services across France responded to more than 2,000 calls.

Residents across the country were working together all day yesterday to clear tracks and roads, repair damaged properties and clear flooded homes.

In Bordeaux, Gironde and Charente, winemakers were counting the cost after severe hailstorms damaged vines. Some reported broken branches and shredded leaves.

Firefighters in Charente, meanwhile, were dealing with fallen trees and badly damaged roofs.

Picture: BFMTV screengrab