A intense thunderstorm transformed Paris into a fleeting ‘City of Lightning’ on Wednesday as severe weather swept central France, delivering torrential rain, gusting winds, and huge hailstones.
Wind speed in the capital was between 65-70 mph, with Montauban at 71 mph gust and Muids at 73 mph gust, according to Meteo France. Bernay experienced a supercell storm that brought a strong 78 mph gust and 2 inches of rain in one hour.
There was heavy hail in Peyrehoarde and Montegut, as thunderstorms strengthened in the area.
A lightning bolt is seen over the roofs of buildings during a thunderstorm in Paris
Air traffic was also affected, with a number of flight delays at Paris’ Orly Airport because of the bad weather. Charles de Gaulle Airport had gusts reaching 53 mph as the storms moved through.
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The severe weather came in the midst of a fierce heat wave that has gripped much of France. Paris-Orly had reached a hot 99 degrees earlier in the day before the temperature dropped with the storm’s arrival.
Meteo France advised that the threat of intense thunderstorms would continue through the evening, with a chance of “1-2 inches of rain in 1-2 hours, 1-2 inch hail stones, 70-75 mph wind gusts and steady lightning.”