Weather site offers proof of lightning for insurers

This time last year, Paris was picking itself up after its highest Seine flooding for years and each summer France faces storms that dump months of rain in a few hours along with lightning strikes that can kill – or destroy property.

Insurers mostly keep abreast of these weather disasters but in some cases, especially with thunderstorms that can be very localised, they may demand proof of the weather event.

Météo France offers a service where it provides proof of the weather conditions across the country and these certificat d’intempéries are accepted by all insurance companies.

The certificate covers two days, which may be useful for second-home owners who may not know exact timings.

For lightning, it has an attestation de foudroiement which, while not confirming a strike on your home, gives proof of lightning and thunderstorms.

To support this, the research site, keraunos.org studies lightning strikes and offers historic maps of impact areas.

Certificates can be ordered from services.meteofrance.com and cost €73.20 each.