Western France braces for new storms

A new salvo of storms will sweep across France today, bringing intense rain and hail to western and central regions.

Storms will move in from the Atlantic coast this afternoon, quickly sweeping down the Loire Valley into western-central France. 

Conditions will be intense from the moment the storms arrive, bringing rain, thunder, and hail to several western departments. 

State forecaster Météo France is predicting hail of between 2cm - 5cm in diameter, rainfall of up to 30mm per hour, and winds of between 80km/h - 100km/h. 

Rainfall of this level is comparable to around 10 - 15 days of rainfall in a few minutes.

In its morning bulletin, the forecaster placed 12 western departments on heightened orange alerts for stormy conditions. 

These will come into force at 18:00 and last until around 02:00 on Thursday (August 27) morning. 

Météo France states that heightened alerts “could be extended to other departments in Brittany and Centre-Val-de-Loire, to Normandy, and to Gironde and part of Limousin,” depending on how the storm progresses.  

Residents in these areas should therefore keep up to date with warnings and local weather reports. 

Official advice in a heightened orange alert for storms is to stay inside and avoid unnecessary journeys, and prepare your property by tying down outdoor furniture, parking vehicles safely, and having an emergency kit in case of power outages. 

If storms begin when you are outside, advice varies based on your location – an overview of the best guidance is available here. 

Departments facing heightened warnings may limit public access to outdoor areas including parks, and restrict or cancel outdoor events. 

In extreme cases, roads may be closed off (especially if trees fall on the road) or in term time schools remain closed. 

To the south, a mass of hot air and wind from North Africa is moving towards Italy, and will cover Corsica today leading to intense heat. 

Highs of 34C - 38C are forecast, potentially reaching 40C on the south of the island, where these Sirocco winds will be most potent.

Overnight temperatures of up to 26C are also possible. 

However, due to the short-lived nature of the intense heat – by Friday daily highs will reach only 33C, dropping below 30C by Saturday – heightened heatwave (canicule) alerts are unlikely to be raised. 

More storms to come

There will be no let-up in conditions on Thursday, as storms are currently set to move eastwards overnight. 

Storms will persist despite a decrease in intensity, before flaring up again tomorrow. 

By Thursday evening they will move further east and south, with Météo France predicting powerful storms along the Rhône Valley on Friday (August 28).

Again, residents across France are advised to keep up with official weather alerts, as warning levels may change throughout Wednesday and Thursday. 

It comes after powerful storms at the start of the week caused a tornado in southern France that damaged hundreds of buildings and injured dozens of people.