Storms Elevate Flood Risk From France to Germany, Belarus

By Eric Leister, Meteorologist

July 22,2015; 9:42PM,EDT

 

The danger of heavy thunderstorms heightening the threat of flooding will shift from eastern France to Belarus into Thursday.
Cities that are in the path of the downpours include Lyon, Geneva, Zurich, Munich and Minsk.

Heavy thunderstorms that erupted Wednesday afternoon will progress eastward through the overnight hours, impacting far northern Spain and eastern France to western Poland.
The main threat will be flash flooding; however, the strongest storms will be capable of producing damaging winds and hail.
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The heaviest thunderstorms will wane later at night but will re-ignite on Thursday across eastern Poland, eastern Slovakia, far northwestern Ukraine, Belarus and neighboring Lithuania.
Once again, flooding downpours will be the main concern. Localized damaging winds and hail cannot be ruled out, especially in the afternoon.

Even if flooding does not ensue, the downpours will create hazards for motorists by reducing visibility and heightening the risk of vehicles hydroplaning at highway speeds.
Thursday's thunderstorms will be replaced by dry weather and comfortable temperatures on Friday, while showers and thunderstorms remain a threat in the Alps.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski contributed to the content of this story.