France’s meteorological agency has issued a weather warning for Paris and the surrounding areas with a major storm on Tuesday as the city hosts the Olympic Games.
French weather agency Météo-France has issued an “orange alert” — the third of four levels — for the capital as strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail, and lightning were likely from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT).
The weather agency said this could be accompanied by “intense precipitation (around 20mm to 40mm in less than an hour),” with the impact being very localised and lasting until about midnight.
The storm alert comes as Paris swelters in heat forecast to reach 36 degrees Celsius on Tuesday as it hosts the fourth day of the Olympic Games.
Earlier, the agency had put the capital city on a “yellow alert” as a heatwave brings searing temperatures to other Olympic venues across France.
The scorching temperatures will be keenly felt by Olympians competing in outdoor events including the beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower and the women’s rugby semi-finals at the Stade de France.
The weather agency said temperatures could reach 38C in the southwestern city on Tuesday before dropping off.
Météo-France has forecasted a similar high temperature for Lyon, where Ukraine’s footballers come up against Argentina on Tuesday.
Other cities in France hosting Olympic events have also been affected by a strong heatwave, with temperatures in some central and southern parts hitting 40C in recent days.
Separately, India ace shooter Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh defeated South Korea to secure the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, marking a historic achievement at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
The Indian pair defeated the Koreans 16-10 to earn the country its second medal at the quadrennial showpiece. In the process, Bhaker became the first Indian post-independence to bag two medals in a single edition of the Games.