France’s meteorological service on Tuesday put Paris and its surrounding suburbs on a major storm alert as the city hosts the Olympic Games.
Strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail and lightning were likely from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) over the French capital, the weather service announced in a bulletin.
This could be accompanied by “intense precipitation (around 20mm to 40mm in less than an hour)” with the impact to be very localised and last until about midnight, the service said.
The storm alert comes as Paris swelters in heat forecast to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as it hosts the fourth day of the Games.
The scorching temperatures will be keenly felt by Olympians competing in outdoor events including the beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower and the women’s rugby semi-finals at the Stade de France.
Other cities in France hosting Olympic events have also been affected by a strong heatwave, with temperatures in some central and southern parts hitting 40C in recent days.
