Two die and widespread damage as storms batter France this weekend
Property damage reported in several departments. Tornado hits central France
The thunderstorm resulted in one death in the Paris area and left another in a coma
Riaan Pixs / Shutterstock
Violent storms swept across large swathes of France overnight on Friday, leaving widespread property damage and resulting in two deaths.
State forecaster Météo-France issued a high (orange) weather alert on Friday, June 13, for 28 departments due to what it called a “strong storm system” capable of producing violent phenomena.
In the Normandy and the Centre-Val de Loire region, the storms brought hail of up to 5cm in diameter and high winds, with damage reported in several departments.
"They were big as tennis balls," one Normandy resident told FranceInfo. "I was outside as it started to fall but went back in very quickly because it hurt too much. It was really impressive. I've got holes in my roof that I can put my fist through."
A rare tornado was also confirmed in Eure-et-Loir, destroying a barn in the village of Jaudrais.
However it was in the Ile-de-France region that the storms were most devastating, resulting in two deaths.
The first occurred at around 22:00 on Friday in the small village of Grandchamp, Yvelines, on the edge of the Rambouillet forest.
A group of seven had sought shelter in a wooden hunting lodge when a tree is reported to have been struck by lightning and collapsed onto the structure.
Six of the group escaped unhurt, but a 68-year-old man was crushed under the debris.
Rescue operations involved around 30 firefighters, including specialist search and clearing teams, and continued until the early hours of Saturday morning.
Despite their efforts, the man was declared dead at the scene. An investigation into the circumstances has been opened by the Houdan gendarmerie.
Roughly an hour later, in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, a woman suffered a serious head injury after being struck by a falling branch.
Emergency services transported her in a critical condition to Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil.
On Sunday, June 15 doctors announced that she had died.
Hot week ahead
The stormy weather is forecast to subside fro June 16, as an Atlantic anticyclone brings settled and hot weather to France for the week, with national average temperatures up to 5C higher than average.
