Weather tracker: Thunderstorms strike across Europe amid record heatwave
Hailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms struck across certain parts of Europe.
While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries like France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe and have brought flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with huge balls of hail.
Some residents of France reported on social media seeing hailstones with diameters ranging between 5cm and 7cm in the south-east on Wednesday, around the towns of Aubenas, Vals-les-Bains and Lalevade-d’Ardèche, and streets were covered with a visible layer of hail. It caused damage to vehicle windshields and several buildings, as well as damaging vineyards.
Alongside the hail, torrential rainfall and strong winds have led to localised flooding in France and Poland. In the city of Wrocław in south-west Poland, roads and tram tracks have been closed due to flooding, along with tram disruptions from trees falling on tram cables because of the strong winds. Residents have been advised to remain indoors and prepare for power outages during these thunderstorms. Storms on Thursday were expected to bring 30-50mm of rain to France, potentially higher locally.
In Asia, meanwhile, heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the monsoon in Bangladesh has led to the deaths of at least 53 people. In the capital, Dhaka, and the surrounding areas, it has been raining for more than a week, with severe warnings for flooding and landslides. The torrential rain and landslides covered a school in mud and debris, causing the deaths of several school girls and their teacher last week.
One of the worst affected areas has been the Cox’s Bazar refugee settlement, from which residents were evacuated. The Chattogram district recorded 412.3mm rain in 24 hours, the highest single-day July rainfall recorded in the past 42 years. Overall, abot a million people have been affected and thousands are currently living in government shelters. The knee-deep flooding led to travel disruption, power outages and slower emergency service response time. Bangladesh is prone to flooding from the monsoon, as it is a low-lying country with multiple rivers, increasing the risk of flooding. Further intense downpours and prolonged rainfall is forecast, bringing further risks for flash flooding and landslides.
