Severe thunderstorms batter Europe following record-breaking heat wave: AIR

Western and Central Europe has been pummelled by severe thunderstorms, which have brought with them extremely strong and damaging winds, large hail, rampant lightning strikes and heavy downpours, AIR Worldwide reports.

“The storms have affected a large area as far south as northern Italy and east into Poland, although the worst hit are Germany, France and Belgium,” notes an AIR statement issued Friday.

Other areas of the continent, including several Central Europe countries, are also feeling the heat, where forest fires sparked by lightning strikes have spread as a result of the intense heat, the statement adds.

“Huge supercell thunderstorms have pummelled Western and central Europe since June 7 due to a cold front that moved into the region from the west, immediately following a severe heat wave,” says Yucheng Song, senior scientist at AIR Worldwide. “High heat, growing humidity and strong temperature contrast set up the conditions for massive developments of severe weather in the region.”

AIR also notes that there have been frequent reports of hail reaching 3 cm in diameter throughout North Rhine-Westphalia, 12-cm hailstones were reported in parts of France, there were more than 110,000 reported lightning bolts in Germany over an 18-hour period early this week, and there were 23,000 reported lightning bolts in France.

With regard to damage, in Belgium, lightning and hail was said to have caused damage and injuries in Wingene and Knesselare; in France, roof damage caused by wind, hail and flooding was reported in the Val d’Oise and Yvelines areas, roof damage was widespread, affecting homes and businesses, in Mormant, and the worst-affected areas were around Paris were Essonne and Seine-et-Marne, where hailstones as large as 10 cm were reported; and in Germany, the worst damage occurred in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Heavy winds at Düsseldorf’s airport reached 150 km/h on Tuesday night, causing air traffic delays as a result of  grounded planes, and heavy winds toppled trees and caused further damage in Cologne and Essen, the statement notes.

Eastward into Lower Saxony, roof fires ignited by lightning were reported in several cities. In addition, Deutsche Bahn officials noted  that damage in the Rhine-Ruhr region is worse than was seen in 2007 when the area was struck by winter storm Kyrill, AIR adds.

“When built areas are subjected to the level of winds reported here, most of the damage comes from toppled trees and broken branches, as trees are in full leaf,” Yörn Tatge, managing director of AIR Worldwide GmbH, notes in the statement. “Strong winds can also damage cladding,” Tatge says.