Thunderstorms have rampaged their way through Europe, inundating the continent with rain, and injuring dozens of people. One man was killed after being struck by lightning in Poland.
A plume of warm air is reaching from Northern Europe, into the central regions of Europe, causing heavy rains, stretching on for days on end. This is resulting in strong winds, flash flooding, and hail. Torrential downpours are predicted to continue until at least the end of May.
"An area of low pressure and associated active frontal system will bring heavy, possibly thundery, rain to parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands on Sunday and Monday. Up to two months worth of rain could fall in a few places. However, there is uncertainty in the details of where the heaviest rainfall will fall, but there is a risk of flooding across this part of Europe," the Met Office in England wrote on May 27.
Several children got injured when lightning struck a party being held at a park in Paris. Investigators believe the children were sheltering from the rain underneath a tree when it became the target of a bolt of lightning. Eight children and three adults were injured during this event, and one child remains in serious condition.
The one fatality in Poland involved a man hiking in the forests spreading through the southwestern regions of that country. In Germany, football fans were startled, and several injured, when a massive bolt struck a field in Hoppstädten, sending the referee to the hospital.
Events around the continent and the United Kingdom are threatened with cancellation or delay due to the inclement weather. Local regions have also suffered significant damage from the rain.
Lightning hits between 100 and 200 people in France each year, killing roughly 10 percent of the targets.
Rainy weather is not just expected in Europe. A tropical or sub-tropical storm is likely to form near the Bahamas just as the month turns to June. If this storm front takes shape, the system will be given the name Bonnie. That disturbance is expected to head northwest before striking the Carolinas, where it may bring significant flooding and damage.
