Weather Alert: Heatwave Ends, Storms Expected in France
Listen to the story
France is under a new weather alert this Sunday. The current heatwave, a period of unusually hot weather, is finally weakening.
However, forecasters warn that dangerous thunderstorms may replace the heat. These storms could bring hail, hard balls of ice that fall during storms.
The storms are also expected to bring strong gusts of wind, meaning sudden and powerful blasts that can cause damage.
Because of this risk, 61 French departments, which are administrative regions similar to counties, have been placed on yellow alert.
A yellow alert means people should stay careful and follow official advice, although the danger is not extreme.
Nine of these alerted departments are located in Occitanie, a large region in southern France known for its warm climate.
Despite the storm risk, Sunday is still expected to be a hot day across much of the country.
In some areas, though, the weather will turn stormy, bringing thunder, lightning, heavy rain and possibly hail.
Meteorologists are asking residents in the affected departments to watch weather updates closely during the day, as conditions could change quickly from sunny to stormy.
Vocabulary9 words
- weather alert
- an official warning about dangerous weather
- heatwave
- many days of very hot weather
- thunderstorms
- storms with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain
- hail
- small hard balls of ice that fall in storms
- gusts
- sudden strong bursts of wind
- departments
- regions used to divide France, like counties
- yellow alert
- a warning level that means be careful
- Occitanie
- a large region in the south of France
- stormy
- having strong storms with wind and rain
Quiz
Answer key
1. It is weakening 2. People should stay careful 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
France is under a new weather _____ this Sunday. The current _____ is finally weakening.
However, forecasters warn that dangerous _____ may replace the heat.
These storms could bring _____, hard balls of ice that fall during storms.
The storms are also expected to bring strong _____ of wind.
Because of this risk, 61 French _____ have been placed on _____ alert.
Nine of these alerted departments are located in _____.
In some areas, the weather will turn _____, bringing thunder and lightning.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever experienced a sudden change from hot weather to a storm? What happened?
- Why do you think weather services use color alerts like yellow, orange, and red?
- What should people do to stay safe during a thunderstorm with hail?
- Do you think weather warnings help people prepare better? Why or why not?