| Picture shows water on the floor of Chatelet metro station after heavy rain in Paris |
A storm on Sunday night lashed Paris with the highest rainfall ever recorded in the French capital, while other areas of France’s centre-west saw as much rain as would normally fall in the entire month of July.
Weather authority Meteo France said that 49.2 millimetres fell in one hour between 9:00pm and 10:00pm (1900-2000 GMT). The previous record for heavy rainfall in Paris was set on July 2, 1995, when 47.4 millimetres fell.
In total, 66 millimetres of rain fell on the city from 8:00am on Sunday to 8:00am on Monday. Civray, in the Vienne region, saw 86 millimetres of rain and Lons-le-Saunier, in the Jura region, saw 77 millimetres during the same period.
Metro services in Paris were disrupted into Monday morning. Social media footage showed water cascading down the steps onto the platform at one station, pouring from the ceiling in another, and commuters climbing fences to avoid walking through water.