Météo-France lifts orange thunderstorm alerts after violent storms cause power outages in France.

Violent thunderstorms, accompanied by large hail and strong winds, hit parts of France overnight, particularly the Alpes-Maritimes region, leading to 53,000 households without power, mainly in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions. Météo-France has since lifted the orange thunderstorm warnings for southeastern departments, though yellow alerts for thunderstorms were in place for Île-de-France (including Paris) for July 16 and 17, bringing an end to a prolonged heatwave.