More Than 20,000 Lightning Strikes: July 16 Was France's Most Thunderstorm-Active Day of 2026

Lyon - 17/07/2026: The severe thunderstorms on Thursday caused the strongest lightning day of the year so far in France. According to Météo-France, more than 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded on July 16. This made it the most thunderstorm-active day since the beginning of the year. The severe weather moved across large parts of the country and was locally accompanied by heavy rain, hail and strong wind gusts.Electrical activity was particularly intense in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A large share of the lightning strikes was concentrated there. From the afternoon into ...