Storms hit as holidaymakers pack roads

Violent storms lashed Paris and north-east France on Saturday morning after hitting the south-west of Friday. As thousands of French people leave for their summer holidays, the heaviest rainfall is expected Saturday afternoon in the centre of the country.

The deluge which hit the capital at 9am Saturday had slacked off by midday. Weather forecasters put the north-east and the centre of the country on orange alert for Saturday and predicted rainfall at between 30mm and 60mm an hours, lightning and hail lasting until 3am Sunday.

The worst-hit are expected to be the Massif Central mountain range in the centre and the north-east third of the country. Click here for a map of storm-hit areas updated every 15 minutes and here for official storm-watchers’ predictions.

The alert was lifted in the south-west of the country which was hit on Friday.

The heatwave which preceded the storms continues in the Rhône area on Saturday morning, with temperatures predicted to hit 35C before storms hit there, too.

The storms come during one of the busiest weekends of the year on the roads, as juilletistes – people who start their summer holidays in July – set off for the beach or the country.

Traffic authorities recommended driving at no more than 20 km per hour when caught in storms, warning of the danger from hail or slippery road surfaces.

At 10am 91 km of traffic jams were reported nationwide. They were at their worst in the Paris region and the Rhône valley. The authorities repeated advice not to leave big cities between 9am and 2pm and to avoid Paris and Lyon.