While most of the country breathes a sigh of relief and begins the post-storm clean-up, ahead of a second weather system bringing further thunderstorms, residents of five departments in the northeast of the country have been urged to batten down the hatches.

National forecaster Météo France has placed Meurthe-et-Moselle, Moselle, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Vosges on orange alert for thunderstorms starting towards the end of a hot and humid afternoon and continuing into the early hours of Friday.

Read more: How to avoid being struck by lightning

It warned of the risk of localised flooding, with heavy rainfall of up to 60mm in as little as three hours, as well as a risk of hail and strong electrical activity

As reported, France has been hit by a record number of lightning strikes in May. The conditions are currently perfect for major storms, with cold, dry air from the north meeting hot and humid air coming up from Africa, generating very strong instability.