Storms to batter south-west France and Paris on Thursday evening

Storm warnings have been raised in the south-west and north of France for this evening (August 29). 

The French weather service, Météo France has issued warnings in more than 50 departments, as the storms make their way from the Atlantic coast to the Belgian border. 

Currently, these are all tier-two yellow warnings, but this may increase if the storms become more powerful.

Atlantic storms first struck the south-west coast in the morning, passing through central France and hitting Paris and the north in the afternoon. 

The storms will remain potent over the south-west and Pyrénées overnight, as well as near Paris and Reims in the north. 

Areas around Bordeaux will see up to 50mm of rainfall in under 24 hours during the storms. 

Many of the same departments are facing storm warnings tomorrow (Friday August 30), when they will increase in intensity.

This will particularly be the case in the Loire Valley, Ile-de-France and Hauts-de-France regions, and along the Pyrénées mountains. 

Read more: Storms in France: what to do if at home, out walking or in car