Tornados rock Germany ... but it’s too f laming hot for the f lamenco in Spain

EUROPE has been left reeling by extreme weather that saw Germany struck by tornados and Spain sweltering in temperatures that hit 108F.

More than 40 people were injured in Germany on Friday when storms whipped up tornados that overturned cars, toppled trees and tore down scaffolding.

The wild winds hit speeds of up to 80mph, the German Weather Service said, while Michael Dreier, mayor of the western city of Paderborn, said that trees and traffic lights had been

‘Trees and traffic lights snapped like matches’

‘snapped like matches’. Elsewhere in Germany, 14 people were injured during the extreme storms when a wooden shelter collapsed at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg.

Meanwhile, it was just too hot for flamenco dancers at the Cordoba Spring Fair as the temperature soared. Parts of Spain are experiencing their hottest May in more than 20 years.

Hot dry air carrying dust from North Africa was behind the scalding temperatures, causing the mercury to rise to 108F (42.3C) on Friday afternoon in Andujar, southern Spain. The country’s meteorological agency slapped weather warnings on 13 areas yesterday and said the heat could create storms.

The hot temperatures are expected to move north-east in the coming days, and while it is expected be milder in Britain, highs of 73F (23C) are predicted today. Sarah Kent, from the Met Office, said: ‘It’s expected to be about four degrees above average temperatures.

‘So, it will be warm for this time of year but nothing exceptional.’

The Met Office’s UK forecast for Monday to Wednesday is: ‘Unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain for most, some heavy with a risk of thunder. Windy on Wednesday with further rain or showers.’