Photos: Hail, floods and lightning after storms hit France
Violent thunderstorms on July 25 come after weeks of hot weather
Large hailstones, flash flooding and spectacular lightning were captured across France on Saturday (July 25) as violent thunderstorms swept north from the Mediterranean after weeks of hot weather.
Social media users shared images and videos showing roads turned white by hail, flooded streets and torrential rain from Provence to the Massif Central.
Giant hail and torrential rain
One of the most dramatic scenes came from Marseille, where residents filmed hailstones several centimetres across falling during a morning storm.
Although the downpour was relatively brief, local media reported the hail caused disruption, while a tree fell onto the A7 motorway between Cavaillon, Vaucluse, and Lançon, Bouches-du-Rhône.
State-forecaster Météo-France placed Bouches-du-Rhône and Var on orange storm alert, warning of rainfall totals of 50-80mm, locally reaching 100mm in less than an hour, hail and wind gusts of 80-100km/h.
Later in the day, storms intensified further east, with heavy rain and hail also reported around Hyères, Toulon and Fréjus.
Storms spread north
The thunderstorms then spread inland across a broad swathe of southern and central France.
In Haute-Loire, nearly 80mm of rain fell in one hour at Chomelix, while 71mm was recorded in one hour at Félines, according to La Chaîne Météo.
Heavy rain also affected parts of Puy-de-Dôme, where residents posted images of flooded roads and rapidly rising water.
Earlier in the afternoon, more than 50mm of rain fell around Aigues-Mortes, Gard, while thunderstorms also swept across parts of Hérault, Vaucluse and Ardèche before continuing north towards the Rhône valley.
Heat to return
Hot weather is forecast to return across southern France on Sunday as the storm system moves away towards Sardinia.
Sunshine will gradually return around the Mediterranean, although showers may linger over the Pyrenees and Alps.
Further north, a weather front moving in from the British Isles is expected to bring cloud and patchy rain before brighter conditions return later in the day.
Temperatures have fallen back to around seasonal averages and are expected to remain pleasant on Monday, before another spell of hot weather begins to build from Tuesday, potentially leading to France's fourth heatwave of the summer later in the week.
