A massive supercell storm has hit France, Italy and Switzerland that has sent giant hailstones down and ferocious winds of up to 90mph. 

The storm comes after Europe was baked by a series of heatwaves that disrupted daily life for weeks on end. 

Wildfires tore through vast swathes of forestland, parched by extended heat, while rivers reached record low water levels amid a drought. 

In France’s Seine-et-Marne region, just east of Paris, powerful winds sent people flying. One video taken in a supermarket showed a man falling over while trying to reach the store. 

Another clip, this one taken in the Paris suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine, showed trees bent at a right angle, as heavy rain went sideways in the sheer speed of the winds. 

The hail was so powerful that car windows were shattered. One driver on the A36 near Besançon shared a clip of his car’s windshield being shattered by the hail. 

Huge divots were seen in the glass as he and other drivers sat in heavy traffic caused by the poor weather. 

In France’s Seine-et-Marne region, just east of Paris, powerful winds sent people flying

One video taken in a supermarket showed a man falling over while trying to reach the store

Another driver shared a video of large tree branches flying through the air and landing on cars. 

He screamed in horror as a branch was snapped off a nearby tree, before falling onto the car in front of him. 

In one particularly terrifying video taken on a train in Paris, petrified commuters screamed as a window of the locomotive caved in.

Rainwater and hail immediately began spraying into the carriage, forcing people to flee. 

Over in Switzerland, hailstones the size of golf balls pelted homes across the north of the country. 

One person filmed the storm from inside his home and watched on in horror as his outdoor furniture was decimated by the hail. 

And in northern Italy, military forecasters have warned that severe rainfall will affect the north of the country. 

They warned that heavy rain will be seen in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of Italy, which will be accompanied by hail, frequent lightning strikes and strong gusts of wind. 

petrified commuters screamed as a window of the locomotive caved in 

Petrified commuters screamed as a window of the locomotive caved in

Giant hailstones were seen at the Franche-Comte region which was hit by an initial round of thunderstorms on Thursday evening, on August 27, 2026 at the Doubs in France

Hailstones piled up outside homes across France on Thursday evening

Forecasters said: ‘Expect some disruption to daily routines and be prepared for disruption to outdoor activities.’ 

The heatwaves across Europe are believed to have caused €180billion (£154billion) in damage, through lowered productivity and disruptions to agriculture, energy and transport.

Hans Stegeman, chief economist at Triodos Bank, said earlier this month: ‘This summer shows that climate change is not a distant economic risk. 

‘The extreme heat we all experience today shows concretely how climate change will affect lives, workers and prosperity across Europe.

‘For this year, the loss of 1% of GDP would mean stagnation. That is a real cost, but no catastrophe. Yet the extreme heat this year is just a taster of what’s coming if we do not act quickly and forcefully on climate change. 

‘The most powerful thing we can do to lower these costs is to mitigate climate change. That means changing our lifestyles and transforming our economies so that we use less energy and resources.’ 

On top of the economic damage caused by the shocking weather seen in Europe, as many as 36,000 people are believed to have died as a result of the heatwaves.

Property across Europe was destroyed by the storms

Cars were severely damaged by the shocking weather

Over in Switzerland, hailstones the size of golf balls pelted homes across the north of the country

Germany was the worst hit country for excess fatalities. The country registered around 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer. 

Around 9,600 were recorded in just one week in late June, when the nation was seared by 40C temperatures. 

France was also badly hit, registering around 7,300 heat-related deaths.