Roads turn into rivers of ice and towns turn white in Germany and France as freak hail storms and howling winds hammer Europe ahead of yet another roasting heatwave

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:52, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 09:55, 16 July 2026 Roads turned into rivers of ice and towns were blanketed in white across parts of Germany and France after hail storms and strong winds battered Europe ahead of another heatwave. Violent storms swept across both countries, bringing giant hailstones, torrential rain, strong winds and widespread damage, even as much of France remained under an orange heatwave alert. Social media videos showed cars attempting to drive down flooded roads and icy streets, while other clips showed golf-ball-sized hailstones hammering down. One video shows the damage to a car windshield caused by the enormous hailstones.  In France, several regions, including Charente-Maritime, Ardeche and Côte-d'Or, were hit by intense hailstorms on Wednesday. In Charente-Maritime, overnight storms from Tuesday into Wednesday damaged the roofs of homes and cars, while vineyards were left devastated.  One professional told news outlet Ici that 'about fifteen hectares are affected, including 7 or 8 with at least 50 per cent damage, or even more,' describing 'hailstones the size of ping-pong balls.' Later in the afternoon, the Ardeche region was struck by a powerful hailstorm that lasted nearly an hour and a half.  Clips shared on social media showed golf-ball-sized hailstones hammering down Social media videos showed cars attempting to drive down flooded roads and icy streets One video shows the damage to a car windshield caused by the enormous hailstones. Hailstones measuring several centimetres across smashed car windshields and caused significant damage in Aubenas. The town's mayor, Jean-Romain Ribeyre, described it as 'an exceptionally violent phenomenon.' According to the prefecture, the storms brought heavy rain, intense lightning, powerful winds and hailstones measuring more than five centimetres in diameter in some areas. Meanwhile, over 200 emergency calls were made, 600 homes were left without electricity, and around 30 firefighters were deployed to tackle a fire believed to have been sparked by lightning. Residents in Dijon, in the Côte-d'Or region, were also caught off guard by the sudden storm. One resident told France 3: 'I saw the wind pick up, then a dull thud rose before the first white hailstones fell. It became so violent that I had to quickly lower the blinds.' They added that some of the hailstones were the size of ping-pong balls. Further east, a supercell thunderstorm and a violent hailstorm swept through the southern German city of Reutlingen on Thursday morning, leaving widespread damage in its wake. The storm triggered flooding and buried roads under thick layers of hail, turning streets into icy rivers as emergency crews worked to clear debris and respond to damage across the city. Meteo France said further storms were expected on Thursday, particularly during the morning across Brittany, Gironde and the Pyrenees. It warned that around midday, 'a more pronounced storm system will develop from the Pays de la Loire region towards the Massif Central, Burgundy, and the northern Rhône-Alpes region.' The weather agency said the storms 'could bring hail, strong gusts of wind, and 30 to 50 mm of rain, or even more locally.' It also warned that 'another potentially strong storm system could form around midday over Languedoc-Roussillon.' It comes as experts have warned that 50°C (122°F) heat is 'perfectly possible' in southern Europe in the coming weeks. Europe is already in the midst of a blistering heatwave, with large areas of Spain reaching 44°C (111.2°F) over the past week. Hailstones measuring several centimetres across smashed car windshields and caused significant damage The weather agency said the storms 'could bring hail, strong gusts of wind, and 30 to 50 mm of rain, or even more locally' Deaths in France increased by nearly a third during the hottest week recorded in June  This exceptional heat has sparked wildfires across France and Spain, with thousands of people forced to evacuate. Deaths in France increased by nearly a third during the hottest week recorded in June. The country recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during the June heatwave, according to official figures, and 300 during scorching temperatures in May. Temperatures reached 40C across western and central parts of the country, peaking at 37°C in Paris, as the country faces its third heatwave since May. In response to scorching heat, the French government announced on Friday it would be opening 'cooling centres' for vulnerable citizens, including the elderly and homeless. Experts from Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that last month was the hottest June ever recorded for western Europe. Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at ECMWF, said: 'June 2026 underscored how profoundly the climate is changing. 'Western Europe recorded its warmest June on record, and continued record warmth in the global ocean. 'Together, these records reflect a climate system continuing to accumulate heat. 'The result is increasingly intense heatwaves, a persistently warm ocean, and growing risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure across Europe and beyond.'