Storms
The hail struck the town of Plombières-les-Bains in the Vosges mountains on Tuesday morning.
Romain Munier, head of communications for the local emergency services, told French media: "There were up to 60 centimetres of accumulated hail" while in the wider area, "up to 10 millimetres of water accumulated in six minutes".
Locals were pictured clearing the street of ice with shovels and snow ploughs after the storm passed and the fire and rescue crews for the Vosges area said they had received 56 callouts in total.
The North Island capital city of Wellington was lashed by the worst tidal storms in years, with authorities asking some coastal residents to be ready to evacuate, as large swells were forecast over the next 24 hours.
"Those people whose homes have been impacted by past swell and storm events should be prepared for these potential impacts again," regional emergency authorities said in a website statement.
Enrique, the first hurricane of the 2021 Pacific tropical season, continues to churn just offshore of Mexico. It currently has 70 mph winds, which means it has decreased in intensity to a strong Tropical Storm. At it's peak Enrique had maximum sustained winds up to 90 mph, which was a strong Category 1 Hurricane.
Additional slow weakening should occur as Enrique moves toward the Baja California peninsula late next week. Enrique will encounter cooler waters as it moves north, leading to it's weakening trend.
Rough surf, storm surge, and deadly flooding rain is expected to impact the coastal regions of Western Mexico due to Enrique's proximity. Tropical storm warnings have been posted in Mexico from the state of Jalisco to the state of Michoacan. The heavy rain is falling in an area that was impacted by Dolores last weekend. Flash flooding and mudslides will be possible.
Enrique is the 5th named storm of the 2021 season in the Eastern Pacific. Felicia is the next name on the list.
The deceased have been identified as 55-year-old Raghubir Yadav of Sakhuwa Prasauni rural municipality-4, Dewarbana and 27-year-old Rasul Aad Gadi of Paterwa Sugauli rural municipality-1, Gadiyani.
They were struck this morning when they had gone to graze their buffaloes.
They were grazing buffaloes when they were hit by the lighting.
Other four people have sustained injuries in the incident. Of them, the condition of Rajbanshi Mahara is said to be critical. He is undergoing treatment at Narayani Hospital.
Similarly, a 50-year-old Asaturni Devi Tharuni of Jirabhwani rural municipality-3 died after being struck by lightning while planting paddy seedlings this morning, said police.
The pounding rain led to a fatal accident in the Sheung Shui town in the north district of Hong Kong, killing the driver of a bus. The driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed it into the tree as the roads were slippery following rainfall, police said. No passenger was on board during the accident.
Heavy torrential rains lashed parts of Hong Kong, triggering landslides in many places which led to traffic and suspension of activities.
Hong Kong Stock Exchange announced it will halt its trading for the morning session on Monday until the highest "black rainstorm" weather warning is cancelled.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) said in a statement that all its major products and derivatives markets (including Stock Connect trading) will resume trading in the afternoon after the warning alert was downgraded.
This footage by William Ross shows the waterspout extending skyward as it swirls across the water against intermittent lightning.
The inclement weather continued across the weekend, with thunderstorms and choppy marine conditions expected heading into Monday.

A massive hailstone, compared to the size of a quarter (left), recovered in Hondo, Texas, on April 28, 2021.
The hailstone was captured, photographed and shared on social media on April 28, in Hondo, Texas, about 40 miles west of downtown San Antonio. It was then put in a freezer.
Hail experts from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety coordinated with the National Weather Service office in San Antonio to examine and perform a three-dimensional scan of the hailstone on May 6.
They found the mammoth hailstone was 6.4 inches in diameter, the largest stone the IBHS has scanned, or roughly the size of a honeydew melon.
The hailstone weighed about 1.26 pounds, according to the IBHS, a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injury, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters, including hailstorms.













Comment: Cosmic rays increases hail size and duration - Lightning inception by large ice particles, GSM much?