Winterlike scene develops in Germany, despite temps in the 70s
Parts of Germany looked more like early January than early June on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Paris, the same weather system was responsible for the Eiffel Tower being struck by lightning numerous times.
By
Alyssa Glenny, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Jun 6, 2022 1:33 PM EDT
|
Updated Jun 7, 2022 7:09 AM EDT
The residents of Weiler im Allgäu, Germany, are clearing the ice-covered streets of the village after a hailstorm on June 5.
A winterlike scene was captured in the southern German town of Weiler-Simmerberg Sunday after an intense storm covered the streets with hailstones that accumulated to several feet as a widespread severe weather outbreak affected much of Europe.
Video footage was captured by locals showing tractors plowing the hail as if it were snow. However, temperatures in the 70s F helped quickly melt the fallen hailstones.
The piles of hail came from thunderstorms that erupted across parts of western and central Europe this past weekend. The storms also dropped hail the size of tennis balls and softballs from France to Austria.
On Saturday, the storms began to organize across northwest France and gradually shifted eastward across the central part of the country, as AccuWeather forecasters accurately predicted days in advance.
According to the European Severe Weather Database, 11 reports of large hail were sent in from areas surrounding the town of Tours, 130 miles southwest of Paris. Near the city of Clermont-Ferrand in central France, there were more numerous hail reports. The most significant report included a hailstone about 4 inches in diameter, which is roughly the size of a softball.
In Vichy, located in central France, video footage was captured of hailstones splashing into the Allier River.
Damage to vehicles, roofs and structures occurred across the country as the storms ramped up throughout the evening hours Saturday.
"On Saturday, it was warm and muggy across much of France as a storm center moved across the northern part of the country. This helped spark thunderstorms that fed off the hot and humid conditions, leading to the flooding in Paris and to the large hail in central France," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Numerous lightning strikes occurred within the storms that tracked through Paris. A local news agency reported that the Eiffel Tower was struck by lightning multiple times after French photographer Kulik Bertrand captured images of the event.
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In an average year, the Eiffel Tower is struck by lightning 10 times, according to Météo France. This weekend, Météo France reported that around 50,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occurred within a 24-hour timespan in the country, with 41,000 occurring in just 12 hours.
Thousands of Parisians lost power due to the storms. The Associated Press reported that flights were temporarily brought to a halt coming out of Paris' Orly Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport Saturday. According to the report, there were at least 14 injuries and one fatality across France Saturday as the intense storms swept across the region.
The storms turned fatal in Rouen, France, within the Normandy region, when a woman was reportedly swept away by the floodwaters, the AP reported.
The severe storms Saturday prompted Météo France to issue orange alerts for 65 different departments across the country. According to the BBC, this weekend's severe weather events marked the first instance in over 20 years that the number of orange alerts reached 65.
Strong to severe storms erupted Sunday as the energy shifted into eastern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, northern Italy, Austria and southern Germany. Bands of severe thunderstorms tracking across the region brought heavy rainfall over the course of a few hours. Multiple weather stations in Austria set new June wind records, including the Innsbruck Airport, which gusted to 89 mph (143 km/h).
Conditions across western and central Europe are forecast to remain unsettled as additional showers and thunderstorms develop across the region through late week. Although severe thunderstorms are not in the forecast, additional rainfall could heighten flooding concerns after this weekend's heavy rain.
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News / Severe Weather
Winterlike scene develops in Germany, despite temps in the 70s
Parts of Germany looked more like early January than early June on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Paris, the same weather system was responsible for the Eiffel Tower being struck by lightning numerous times.
By Alyssa Glenny, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Jun 6, 2022 1:33 PM EDT | Updated Jun 7, 2022 7:09 AM EDT
The residents of Weiler im Allgäu, Germany, are clearing the ice-covered streets of the village after a hailstorm on June 5.
A winterlike scene was captured in the southern German town of Weiler-Simmerberg Sunday after an intense storm covered the streets with hailstones that accumulated to several feet as a widespread severe weather outbreak affected much of Europe.
Video footage was captured by locals showing tractors plowing the hail as if it were snow. However, temperatures in the 70s F helped quickly melt the fallen hailstones.
The piles of hail came from thunderstorms that erupted across parts of western and central Europe this past weekend. The storms also dropped hail the size of tennis balls and softballs from France to Austria.
On Saturday, the storms began to organize across northwest France and gradually shifted eastward across the central part of the country, as AccuWeather forecasters accurately predicted days in advance.
According to the European Severe Weather Database, 11 reports of large hail were sent in from areas surrounding the town of Tours, 130 miles southwest of Paris. Near the city of Clermont-Ferrand in central France, there were more numerous hail reports. The most significant report included a hailstone about 4 inches in diameter, which is roughly the size of a softball.
In Vichy, located in central France, video footage was captured of hailstones splashing into the Allier River.
Damage to vehicles, roofs and structures occurred across the country as the storms ramped up throughout the evening hours Saturday.
"On Saturday, it was warm and muggy across much of France as a storm center moved across the northern part of the country. This helped spark thunderstorms that fed off the hot and humid conditions, leading to the flooding in Paris and to the large hail in central France," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Numerous lightning strikes occurred within the storms that tracked through Paris. A local news agency reported that the Eiffel Tower was struck by lightning multiple times after French photographer Kulik Bertrand captured images of the event.
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In an average year, the Eiffel Tower is struck by lightning 10 times, according to Météo France. This weekend, Météo France reported that around 50,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occurred within a 24-hour timespan in the country, with 41,000 occurring in just 12 hours.
Thousands of Parisians lost power due to the storms. The Associated Press reported that flights were temporarily brought to a halt coming out of Paris' Orly Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport Saturday. According to the report, there were at least 14 injuries and one fatality across France Saturday as the intense storms swept across the region.
The storms turned fatal in Rouen, France, within the Normandy region, when a woman was reportedly swept away by the floodwaters, the AP reported.
The severe storms Saturday prompted Météo France to issue orange alerts for 65 different departments across the country. According to the BBC, this weekend's severe weather events marked the first instance in over 20 years that the number of orange alerts reached 65.
Strong to severe storms erupted Sunday as the energy shifted into eastern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, northern Italy, Austria and southern Germany. Bands of severe thunderstorms tracking across the region brought heavy rainfall over the course of a few hours. Multiple weather stations in Austria set new June wind records, including the Innsbruck Airport, which gusted to 89 mph (143 km/h).
Conditions across western and central Europe are forecast to remain unsettled as additional showers and thunderstorms develop across the region through late week. Although severe thunderstorms are not in the forecast, additional rainfall could heighten flooding concerns after this weekend's heavy rain.
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Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
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