Violent storms lash northern France: two men struck by lightning, buildings hit, hail and 120 km/h winds recorded

A line of violent storms moved through northern France late Friday, June 19, bringing intense lightning, large hail, powerful wind gusts and flooding to the Pas-de-Calais and Nord departments. The region had been under a Météo-France orange alert for both storms and extreme heat, and by early evening the warnings materialised with spectacular electrical activity and sudden downpours.

Human toll

Two men aged 56 and 66 were struck by lightning in Fampoux, near Arras, at around 18:15. They were sheltering under a metal porch when the bolt hit, according to the Pas-de-Calais fire and rescue service (CODIS). Both remained conscious and were transported to Arras hospital under “relative emergency” conditions. A 19-year-old woman in Lille was also injured when a tree fell on Boulevard Victor Hugo; she was treated for an ankle wound. No fatalities were reported.

“Two slightly injured, struck by lightning in Fampoux, quickly treated and taken to Arras hospital.”

Structural damage and fires

Lightning struck at least five dwellings or buildings, the prefecture said. Reports listed impacts in Bienvillers-au-Bois, Fampoux, Feuchy, Hénin-Beaumont and Lens. A house in Hem was destroyed, and a lightning bolt hit a metal patio where a baptism was being prepared in Fampoux, causing an electrical socket to explode. Two small fires broke out (one at a home in Feuchy, another at a micro-crèche in Harnes) and were brought under control rapidly. At Vitry-en-Artois, a large tree was torn from the ground at the Artésienne de minoterie, knocking out power for about 25 households.

“No deaths or injuries, and that is the most important thing. A tree struck by lightning fell on two cars.”

Wind, hail and flash flooding

Gusts reached 120 km/h in Douai, while hailstones of 3 to 5 cm (the size of ping-pong balls in some spots) pelted the Lille metropolitan area. The Keraunos observatory recorded an average of 133 lightning strikes per minute over the Lille region at the storm’s peak. Roads flooded quickly at Bailleulval and Saint-Amand, and a bent electricity pole in Écourt-Saint-Quentin required intervention by the grid operator.

Rail and park closures

Falling debris on the tracks caused major delays for trains heading to Arras. TER Hauts-de-France said services were expected to return to normal by 22:00. The city of Lille announced inspections of its parks and gardens on Saturday morning and warned that openings could be delayed.

Heatwave backdrop

The storms erupted while France baked under a historic heatwave. Météo-France forecast that temperatures could locally reach 41 °C on Sunday, June 21. No department was placed under an orange storm alert for the following days, but the heat risk persisted.