- Tornado strikes southwest France, injuring 39 and damaging hundreds of homes.
- Interior minister Laurent Nunez described the tornado as one of rare intensity and severely damaging to the village.
- Energy grid operator ENEDIS reported that around 21,000 households were without power in southern France by the morning.
- No missing persons have been reported so far.
- The event follows a summer of extreme heat and record-breaking wildfires in the southwest, with the last month burning an area of 42,000 hectares - one of the largest forest fires since the Second World War.
- While tornadoes are relatively common in France, they are much milder than in the US; the country sees an estimated 50 tornadoes every year, mainly in spring and summer.
- Many of the weakest tornadoes, rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, occur at night and go largely unnoticed.
A rare tornado struck the village of Pomas in the Aude region of southwestern France late Monday, injuring 39 people and damaging over 300 homes. Among the injured, two individuals are in critical condition, according to officials.1
The tornado left approximately 21,000 households without power, as reported by energy grid operator ENEDIS. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez characterized the tornado as one of "rare intensity" and noted its severe impact on the village.23
The storm occurred while the Aude region was under an orange warning for thunderstorms, which has since expired, according to Meteo France. This tornado follows a summer marked by extreme heat and record-breaking wildfires in the southwest, which burned an area of 42,000 hectares—one of the largest forest fires since World War II.56
Tornadoes are relatively common in France, with an estimated 50 tornadoes occurring annually, primarily in spring and summer. However, they are generally milder compared to those in the US.78
Emmanuel Wesolek, president of the French storm observatory Keraunos, noted that many of France's weakest tornadoes, rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, often occur at night and go unnoticed, causing little damage.
“Interior minister Laurent Nunez called the tornado one of 'rare intensity' on X, saying it was 'severely damaging' to the village. The event follows a summer of extreme heat and record-breaking wildfires, with the last month burning 42,000 hectares—one of the largest forest fires since the Second World War.”
