Paris and the surrounding suburbs have been put on alert with the country’s meteorological service warning of an upcoming major storm expected to hit the French capital this afternoon as the city hosts the Olympics.

Specifically, strong storms, rain, hail and lightning are expected from the afternoon at 6, according to the meteorological service.

“Storms will be more frequent and intense from the east of the Pays de la Loire to the Center-Val and the southwest of Ile-de-France,” the forecast says.

This could be accompanied by “heavy rainfall (about 20mm to 40mm in less than an hour)” with the heavy rain lasting until around midnight, the service said.

The storm warning comes as Paris faces a heatwave today, Tuesday with temperatures reaching 35C.

The high temperatures will be keenly felt by the Olympians competing in outdoor events, including beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower and the women’s rugby semi-finals at the Stade de France.

This is the second severe storm expected to hit Paris after heavy rain during the opening ceremony of the Games.