Video: Hailstorm pelts Paris and Lyon ending early heatwave

Lyon and Paris were hit by a sudden and violent hailstorm on Saturday afternoon after several days of unseasonably high temperatures

The storm swept north across France and arrived shortly after 15:00, pelting the capital with hailstones for several minutes. Videos shared on social media showed rooftops and pavements coated in white as hail the size of large marbles pelted the capital.

The storm was part of a broader weather front predicted earlier in the day by French weather service Météo France, which had placed the entire Ile-de-France region on yellow-level alert for thunderstorms. 

Temperatures in the capital had reached up to 26C earlier in the day, before dropping steadily into the evening as the system moved through.

The episode was particularly intense. 

In Lyon, where the same storm front passed later in the day, similar scenes were reported. Around 17:00, residents were caught off guard as a barrage of hailstones — described by some as “golf ball-sized”— fell suddenly, forcing pedestrians to scramble for cover.

No injuries or serious damage have been reported in either city.

The episode marks a dramatic end to several days of early spring heat in central and northern France, and comes as weather services continue to monitor conditions for further instability over the weekend.

This is more likely in the south, where Météo France has placed many departments on alert for storms on Sunday. A drop of between 5C/6C is likely across almost all of France

Some transport disruption 

The storm on Saturday caused some disruption to transport networks. According to RATP, four metro stations were temporarily closed due to localised flooding, but services resumed quickly. 

The SNCF also reported no major delays or damage, though small power outages were recorded in some areas. 

These were rapidly resolved and had no significant effect on rail traffic, the operator said.