Weather tracker: Fierce thunderstorms and big hailstones hit parts of Europe

France particularly badly hit, while rainfall across southern China triggers landslides and widespread disruption

This week, large parts of Europe have been affected by a series of intense thunderstorms, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and large hail.

Central France was particularly badly affected by the severe weather, as powerful storm systems swept south-westward across the country. The departments of Loire and Puy-de-Dome were among the hardest hit, experiencing significant damage from a particularly violent supercell thunderstorm that produced hailstones measuring up to 6cm in diameter - larger than ping-pong balls.