Sudden violent storms batter France, leaving deadly toll and widespread chaos
State officials in Tarn-et-Garonne said Thursday that a 12-year-old boy was killed in Piquecos. A 59-year-old man riding a motorbike was also killed when he collided with a storm-felled tree, according to reports by various French media outlets.
Large hail strikes France during severe thunderstorms
Massive hail strikes a town in western France as severe thunderstorms sweep through the region.
PARIS – The City of Lights was temporarily more like the City of Lightning on Wednesday after a ferocious and deadly thunderstorm brought damaging winds and torrential rain across Paris and central France.
A lightning bolt is seen over the roofs of buildings during a thunderstorm in Paris on June 25, 2025.
(THIBAUD MORITZ/AFP via Getty Images)
State officials in Tarn-et-Garonne said Thursday that a 12-year-old boy was killed in Piquecos. The young victim was with his family on the bank of the Aveyron River when he was struck by a falling tree.
In France's northwestern Mayenne department, a 59-year-old man riding a motorbike was also killed when he collided with a storm-felled tree, according to reports by various French media outlets.
Emergency responders said they were inundated with calls as the storms raged, receiving over 300 calls and conducting about 30 weather-related rescues. Nearly 120 firefighters were deployed throughout the night to address the numerous incidents.
Gusts reached 65-70 mph in Paris, with a gust of 71 mph in Montauban and 73 mph in Muids, according to Meteo France. Over in Bernay, a supercell brought a gust of 78 mph with 2 inches of rain reported in just one hour.
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Image 1 of 9TOPSHOT - A lighting bolt lights up the sky as people prepare to leave the beach during a thunder storm over the city of La Baule, in western France, on June 25, 2025. (LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 2 of 9A lighting bolt lights up the sky over Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, northern Paris, on June 25, 2025. (JULIE SEBADELHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 3 of 9People run for shelter on a street in the 20th Arrondissement during a thunderstorm, in Paris, on June 25, 2025. (CHRISTOPHE DELATTRE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 4 of 9A man runs for shelter on a street in the 20th Arrondissement during a thunderstorm, in Paris, on June 25, 2025. (CHRISTOPHE DELATTRE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 5 of 9A lighting bolt lights up the sky over Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, northern Paris, on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Julie SEBADELHA / AFP) (Photo by (JULIE SEBADELHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 6 of 9TOPSHOT - This photograph shows a lightning bolt falling near Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, in Paris on June 25, 2025. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 7 of 9A lighting bolt lights up the sky over Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, northern Paris, on June 25, 2025. (JULIE SEBADELHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 8 of 9A lighting bolt lights up the sky over Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre during a thunderstorm, northern Paris, on June 25, 2025. (JULIE SEBADELHA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Image 9 of 9A cyclist rides in the rain during a thunderstorm in Rue de Bagnolet, Paris, on June 25, 2025. (CHRISTOPHE DELATTRE/AFP via Getty Images)
Heavy rain forced an unexpected pause in legislative discussions on the Middle East conflict as the National Assembly's roof began to leak, according to Deputy of the French National Assembly Maud Petit.
"It's raining in the chamber," she said on X. "There's water in Le Bourbon! I repeat: it's raining in the chamber!"
Large hailstones were reported in Peyrehoarde and Montegut, Meteo France said.
Paris' Orly Airport reported several flight delays due to the severe weather, with Charles de Gaulle Airport clocking a gust of 53 mph as the storms blew through.
People run for shelter on a street in the 20th Arrondissement during a thunderstorm, in Paris, on June 25, 2025.
(CHRISTOPHE DELATTRE/AFP via Getty Images)
The storms came amid a blistering heat wave in the heart of France. The high temperature at Paris-Orly was 99 degrees before rapidly cooling off during the thunderstorms.
Meteor France said severe thunderstorms remained possible later into the night with up to 1-2 inches of rain in 1-2 hours, 1-2 inch hailstones, wind gusts of 70-75 mph and frequent lightning.