Severe Thunderstorms Devastate France, Causing Fatalities and Widespread Damage

Severe thunderstorms that struck various regions of France on the night of June 25 to June 26, 2025, have resulted in significant damage, emergency responses, and tragic fatalities. Two people have died, and at least 17 others have sustained injuries as the storms wreaked havoc across multiple departments, including Corrèze, Eure, and Dordogne.

Météo France issued an orange alert as wind gusts reached 110 km/h and hailstones measuring up to 4 cm were reported. In Corrèze, over 1,500 emergency calls were logged, prompting the deployment of around 100 firefighters and 30 gendarmes to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. The storms led to major disruptions, including substantial power outages affecting around 13,000 households in Dordogne and more than 100 communes in Corrèze, with electricity restoration efforts ongoing.

Tragic incidents were reported, including the death of a 12-year-old boy when a tree fell in Tarn-et-Garonne, as well as a 59-year-old man who died after his vehicle collided with a fallen tree in Mayenne. The storms are seen as part of a pattern of recent extreme weather attributed to climate change, coinciding with a national heatwave that marks the 50th since 1947.

In response to the storm damage, local authorities are actively clearing roads, and significant coordination among emergency services has been praised. For instance, in the Eure department, 764 emergency calls were responded to, resulting in 244 incidents where firefighters had to intervene to clear roadways and secure downed cables. Many schools in the affected areas were closed as a precaution, particularly in regions like Malemort and Cosnac.

Despite the challenging conditions, the national examination for students, the brevet des collèges, continued, though accommodations were made for students delayed by the storms. Recovery efforts are ongoing as authorities assess the damage and restore normalcy in the affected regions.