France places 12 departments under orange thunderstorm alert

France’s national weather service placed 12 western and central departments under an orange thunderstorm alert for Wednesday.

“There is a risk of hail, heavy rain with hourly accumulations of up to 30 millimeters (1.2 inches), wind gusts of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour (50-62 miles per hour), and intense lightning activity,” Meteo-France warned on US social media company X.

Authorities expect “a significant risk of severe weather phenomena” during Wednesday’s episode, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

The alert came after severe storms swept across southern France overnight Monday into Tuesday, including a destructive tornado in the Aude department on Monday.

Stormy weather is expected to continue over the coming days. A stormy zone is forecast to develop Thursday “from the southern Massif Central to Lorraine.”

Rain and storms are also expected to shift eastward Friday morning, BFMTV reported.

Meteo-France said “numerous showers” could occur across a large part of northwestern France.