Storms wreak havoc across France

Storms across large parts of France Saturday killed one woman, wrought havoc in some vineyards and forced thousands of cub scouts to run for shelter.

In contrast, the Mediterranean island of Corsica sweltered in record temperatures for the month of June.

A woman died after being trapped under a car by flash waters caused by a storm in the northern city of Rouen, the mayor's office announced.

In the Landes and Gers region of southwest France, hailstones bigger than golf balls crashed down on parts of the Armagnac vineyard, local growers and officials said.

Bernard Malabirade, president of the Gers agriculture department, said the hailstorm had affected tens of thousands of hectares.

In the southwest Landes region, wine grower Nelly Lacave described the destruction left in the wake of the storm.

"In the vineyards, there is nothing left, the roof of our agricultural building is a giant Swiss cheese, and in the house, the windows are broken," she told AFP.

"My father, who is almost 70 years old, has never seen this," she added.

Power company Enedis said Saturday evening the storms had cut off electricity to around 5,000 household across the country.

In Loir-et-Cher, central France, 30,000 scouts who gathered for a camping trip over the Pentecost holiday weekend had to be rushed to safety, many of them inside the local chateau.

"The storm broke at around 4:30 pm," the scouts' press spokesman Damien Tardy told AFP.

"It lasted for a few minutes, but it was relatively strong, and a gust of wind collapsed the tents of the cub scouts.

"Ten thousand youngsters, aged between eight and 12, were given shelter inside the chateau with the cooperation of the prefecture," he added.

Some of the older scouts however had stayed out camping. "They were singing when I went over to see them."

Cap Corse on the north of the island of Corsica, registered 37.4 degrees Celsius (99.3 Fahrenheit), said meteorologists France-Meteo, a record for the month of June.

France-Meteo has warned more storms were on the way, starting in the southwest and moving north and east across the country.

Floods kill at least three in Cuba
Havana (AFP) June 4, 2022 - Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha flooded much of western Cuba on Friday, killing at least three people in Havana.

Thousands of residents in the region lost power and a man in Pinar del Rio province also was missing, Cuban officials said.

"Strong, heavy rain and electrical storms have been affecting the western and central regions of Cuba with accumulations greater than 200 millimeters (eight inches), which will continue for the rest of today and tomorrow, Saturday," the Cuban Weather Office (INSMET) said.

A 44-year-old man, initially thought missing, was found dead Friday evening in the western province of Pinar del Rio after falling into a stream, according to local news site CubaDebate.

They also reported the disappearance of another person in the region.

Agatha had crashed into southern Mexico with the potential to redevelop as a tropical storm in the Atlantic, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center had said.

So far, heavy rains "have produced floods in localities from Pinar del Rio (western extreme) to Sancti Spiritus (Center) and in the Isla de la Juventud Special Municipality (south of Havana)," INSMET said.

With parts of the capital flooding, state media images showed rescuers in areas of central Havana evacuating people in canoes.

Nearly 2,000 people have decided to evacuate their homes, authorities say, while about 50,000 customers in the province of Havana are without electricity.

"People are almost waist-deep in water," said Luis Antonio Torres, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PPC) in the capital.

He had visited the municipality of Cerro, one of the most damaged areas, where at least one bridge fell and floodwaters seeped into some homes.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins each year on June 1 and ends on November 30, for the North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

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