Nine people were killed and dozens injured as violent storms slammed central Europe overnight.
Western and south-western Poland were hardest hit, with hurricane-force winds reaching 130km/h in some areas.
Most deaths were caused by falling trees.
A 24-year-old pregnant woman was killed in Chojne near Sieradz, central Poland, when a tree branch crashed onto her car.
Two children, aged 8 and 13, who were also in the car survived unscathed.
In Krotoszyn, western Poland, 17 people were injured when a broken high-voltage power line fell on them. Six suffered serious electrocution burns.
High winds also claimed two lives and injured dozens in the neighbouring Czech Republic.
A 75-year-old woman was killed in the the north of the country by falling tree branches, while the body of a man presumed drowned was found after a boat capsized on a river south of Prague.
According to Poland's state weather service, the unusually violent storms were caused when hot air masses from north Africa clashed with cooler air systems moving in from western Europe.
Temperatures rose to 34C in Prague and 37C in Ceské Budejovice, in the south, yesterday afternoon hours before the storms.
The torrential rain and strong winds left a trail of destruction in countries across the region.
In Poland, dozens of roofs were ripped off houses, basements and roads were flooded and numerous cars were damaged by falling trees and branches throughout the country, including the south-western city of Wroclaw, Poznan in the west and Lodz in central Poland.
High-voltage power lines were downed and rail traffic was disrupted in Poland and neighbouring Slovakia.
In Austria, hail pounded 60,000 hectares of crops, causing an estimated damage of €20m, according to the Österreichische Hagelversicherung insurance company.
Storms were still battering parts of Poland today, but forecasts suggested they would not be as violent as those of last night.
