French and Riviera News Monday 19th June 2023

News

Severe thunderstorms hit northern France - The French capital, Normandy, the Pays de Loire as well as part of the Southwest of France have been hit by severe thunderstorms. A tornado was reported in the Seine-Maritime on Sunday, causing some damage. Flooding was reported is places and gusts of winds of up to 123km/h were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower, which was struck by lightning overnight. On Sunday parks and green spaces had been closed in Paris due to a weather warning issued earlier in the day by Météo France and a Sting concert due to take place in the gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau had also been canceled. Several train lines in the Paris region were disrupted on Sunday and trains were not running between Orleans and the French capital.

Earthquake in western France - Around 170 people been relocated from the western French town of La Laigne after an earthquake. The quake, believed to have been between magnitude 5.2 and 5.8 was felt from Rennes in the north-west to Bordeaux in the south-west on Friday evening.  Homes, schools and churches were damaged, with hundreds of buildings having to be evacuated.  Earthquakes above magnitude five are unusual in France, with the last affecting the country in November 2019.

Arrest on Avenue Jean-Médecin - A man has been arrested on Avenue Jean-Médecin in the city centre of Nice after uttering threats of terrorism in public. The individual who is from Clermont Ferrand and is already a “fiche S” (whi