Weather tracker: Severe thunderstorms sweep Europe and east Asia

Strong winds and heavy rain batter Slovenia, while France experiences atypical heatwave Severe thunderstorms swept across the Balkans last week, bringing widespread destruction to parts of the region. The storms developed as unstable hot air lingered over the Adriatic Sea while a cold front plunged south-eastward. The front began its journey on 10 June in Slovenia, where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded 65mph gusts at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region with 23mm reported in Kranj. Alongside heavy rain, hail the size of golf balls plummeted from the sky as the front edged south-eastwards towards Croatia. One of the worst affected areas was the Komenda municipality, where the local fire department reported damage to more than 100 buildings. Some homes lost their roofs in the violent winds. In the early hours of 11 June, the storm edged south-eastwards into Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina before reaching Greece on 12 June. Similar conditions have been observed on the opposite side of Eurasia. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a black rainstorm warning on Thursday. When a black warning is issued, outdoor workers are expected to take shelter unti