Violent hailstorms hit western France destroying swaths of vineyards and killing a girl out walking with her parents. Franck Jullion, the president of the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, said his vines, which were expected to flower next week, had been destroyed. These are hard blows for us,” Gontier told the Sud Ouest newspaper. The French government said it would be looking at what compensation might be available to vineyards once the extent of the damage was known. The French weather service Météo-France said 22mm of rain fell in six minutes in the city.

Source: The Guardian May 27, 2018 15:55 UTC