PARIS — France’s fierce thunderstorms and hailstorms left one woman dead, and injured 14 others. They also damaged vineyards and delayed flights.
According to local authorities, lightning struck the Eiffel Tower without causing any damage and set roofs ablaze east of Paris. Residents in southwest France shared photos of hail as large as tennis balls online, while drivers from Paris shared images of flood roads and blackened skies.
According to utility Enedis, thousands of homes were without power Sunday following the storms that struck France on Saturday. The flight out of Paris’ Orly Airport was temporarily suspended Saturday. There were also delays at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that a woman who was swept away by flooding had been found dead beneath a car in Rouen, a historic Normandy town. The circumstances surrounding the death are not known.
As hail, thunder, and lightning decimated the Loire Valley, thousands of youth took part in a large scout gathering. France-Info was informed by the chateau director that while some children received treatment for hypothermia, no serious injuries were reported.
Rains also hit Normandy beaches during veterans’ gatherings to commemorate the 78th anniversary the D-Day invasion of Nazi Germany in World War II.
