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STORMS

Northern France on alert for violent storms after deluge hits Paris

Three départements in northern France were on alert for violent storms on Friday after Paris and other parts of the country were hit by downpours and the Eiffel Tower was struck by lightning (see pic).

Published: 4 June 2021 12:47 CEST
Northern France on alert for violent storms after deluge hits Paris
A photo taken on June 10, 2014 shows a lightning strike during a thunderstorm over the city of Paris. Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON / AFP
Three departments in the north of the country were placed on orange alert for storms in the lunchtime bulletin from national forecaster Météo-France, as the storm system that hit Paris earlier Friday moves north.
 
Residents in Nord, Pas-de-Calais and  the Aisne were warned to expect strong electrical storms, with hail, strong winds and the possibility of localised flash flooding, with up to 60mm of rain forecast in some areas in just an hour.

Residents in the areas are advised to seek shelter indoors and stay away from rivers or trees during a storm.

And forecasters have warned that, after a few days of rising temperatures, storms are expected throughout the day on Friday.

Residents in the capital will be well aware of the conditions as storms hit early this morning as the system spread west.

And day very quickly turned to night as the conditions continued into rush hour.

A quarter of an hour was all it took for the deluge in several communes across the Seine-et-Marne department, flooding 90 houses in the 800-population village of Thieux on Wednesday. 

Twenty-four hours later, residents – who had spent the day cleaning up – were forced to evacuate again, as the storms returned.

The nearby communes of Messy, Gressy, Villeroy and Cherny were also hit as the storms battered large parts of the country.

This afternoon, heavy thunderstorms will extend from the Paris Basin towards Hauts-de-France, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine. 

Further south, storms will develop in the Pyrenees and spread deeper into the Occitanie. The weather will also become very unstable from Limousin to Auvergne with sometimes strong thunderstorms.

Overnight, powerful storms are forecast to hit Occitanie and Auvergne, while a few thunderstorms will still affect the regions north of the Seine, mainly between Hauts-de-France and Lorraine.

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TRAVEL NEWS

How has Storm Louis been affecting travel in Sweden?

Trains in and out of Gothenburg have suffered major delays, several bridges have been closed and drivers have been advised to stay at home. Here is how Storm Louis has affected traffic in Sweden.

Published: 23 February 2024 13:49 CET
How has Storm Louis been affecting travel in Sweden?

Trains

Trains in and out of Gothenburg station more or less ground to a halt between 8.30am and 11.30am, but began moving again around noon. 

According to Sweden’s national rail company SJ there are still delays and disruptions to services between Gothenburg and Stockholm, Gothenburg and Västerås, Gothenburg and Malmö, and Gothenburg and Karlstad. 

Västtrafik, which operates regional trains in western Sweden has cancelled several trains with other services facing significant delays. 

On the company’s website, they said services between Ed and Trollhättan, Strömstad and Gothenburg, Uddevalla and Varberg and Gothenburg to Lidköping and Örebro would all be cancelled, with replacement buses provided. 

The company recommended checking its To Go app, or looking at its travel planner website. 

Värmlandstrafik, which operates local transport in Värmland has cancelled services between Sunne and Torsby due to a tree on the line, with replacement buses provided. 

Ferries 

Ferries to islands such as Styrsö and Vrångö in the archipelago south of Gothenburg have been cancelled.  The Gullmarsleden ferry over to Lysekil was also cancelled, as was the chain ferry across to the Bolmsö in the middle of lake Bolmen.

Bridges 

The Tjörn Bridge to the island of Tjörn was closed on Friday morning and remained closed at 1.30pm. The Uddevalla Bridge across Sunninge sound was also closed, blocking the E6 motorway, but reopened around noon. 

Roads 

Fallen trees have blocked roads such as the E18 between Knöstad och Valnäs, road 702 between Trossnäs and Bofasterud, road 62 between Tjörnheden and Olsäter, road 664 between Norsbron and Björkåsmotet and road 240 at Väse Kyrka.

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