Rainstorms bring relief as Europe feels 1st summer heatwave

Thunderstorms brought a much-needed cooldown to parts of western Europe over the weekend as the continent swelters under its first summer heatwave

BERLIN -- Thunderstorms brought a much-needed cooldown to parts of Western Europe over the weekend as the continent sweltered under its first summer heatwave. Forecasters predicted further downpours Monday moving westward toward Poland, which has seen five days of unusually hot weather. Germany's national weather service DWD said temperatures in the west and north of the country dropped from over 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) over the weekend to about 20 C (68 F) after a night of heavy rain. In France, strong winds and tornados over the weekend caused some damage, including toppling a church spire in the village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, southwest of Paris.