Severe Storms to Hit Southeast France on Thursday and Friday
Listen to the story
Weather forecasters in France have warned of violent thunderstorms in the southeast of the country on Thursday and Friday. The storms are expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds.
French weather services placed 37 départements under a yellow weather alert. This is a warning level that tells people to stay alert and take basic safety measures, though it is not the most serious level.
A département is an administrative area in France, similar to a region or county in other countries. Many départements across the southeast are included in this alert because of the storms.
At the same time, France is also dealing with a heat wave. On Wednesday, 22 départements were placed under a separate yellow alert because of very high temperatures.
Weather warnings like these are common in summer in France, when storms and heat waves can happen close together. Authorities usually advise people to avoid unnecessary travel during storms and to stay hydrated during heat waves.
Residents in the affected areas are encouraged to follow updates from official weather services and to take precautions, such as securing loose objects outdoors before the storms arrive and staying indoors during the worst of the weather.
Vocabulary6 words
- violent
- very strong and possibly dangerous
- département
- an area of France used for local government, like a region
- yellow weather alert
- a warning that tells people to be careful because of possible bad weather
- heat wave
- a period of unusually hot weather that lasts several days
- forecaster
- a person or service that predicts the weather
- precaution
- something you do to stay safe before a problem happens
Quiz
Answer key
1. Thursday and Friday 2. People should be alert and take basic safety steps 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Weather forecasters in France have warned of _____ thunderstorms in the southeast of the country on Thursday and Friday.
French weather services placed 37 _____ under a yellow weather _____.
A département is an administrative area in France, similar to a region or county in other _____.
At the same time, France is also dealing with a heat _____. On Wednesday, 22 départements were placed under a separate yellow alert.
Weather warnings like these are common in _____ in France, when storms and heat waves can happen close together.
Residents in the affected areas are encouraged to follow updates from official weather services and take _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think weather services use color-coded alerts like yellow?
- How do people in your country prepare for storms or heat waves?
- Do you think climate change is making extreme weather more common? Why or why not?
- What precautions would you take if you were in an area under a storm alert?