Tornado injures 39 and damages hundreds of homes as violent storms sweep southern France

A tornado tore through a village in southern France yesterday evening (August 24) damaging hundreds of homes and injuring 39 people. Fifteen people were hospitalised and two are in a life-threatening condition.

A pregnant woman is among the injured after her home partially collapsed as the tornado tore through it.

The tornado hit Pomas (Aude), a village of around 1,000 residents at 17:20, ripping tiles from roofs, breaking windows, and in some cases bringing down entire homes.

Around 300 buildings were impacted by the tornado, which lasted ten minutes. Some buildings were completely destroyed by the tornado passing through. Alongside damaging buildings, the tornado knocked over lorries and cars.

Emergency service workers including around 100 firefighters went door-to-door through the wreckage to check for people who may be trapped but all residents have been accounted for. 

Reports from the evening stated that nobody was seriously injured, but this has now been updated.

“Half the village is destroyed,” said a resident of a nearby town to media outlet Ici Occitanie. 

“I was driving back from Carcassonne and saw what looked like a huge chimney, with debris flying impressively through the sky.”

Several roads have been closed in the area, and around 1,600 homes in the Aude department remain without power.

“There are no tiles left, no roof left. Houses with an upper floor have lost it. I wouldn't even know how to describe it to you; it's so hard to believe,” said a resident of Pomas to the same outlet.

Several residents also spoke of a deafening noise accompanying the tornado, which lasted for the duration of its dramatic passage. 

The commune lies around 25km south of Carcassonne. The screenshot below shows where the tornado hit.

Damage across southern France

The tornado – a rare but possible phenomenon in France – was part of a wider intense storm that passed across the south of France.

Winds of 125km/h hit the Bouches-du-Rhône department, and intense rain in the evening partially flooded Marseille’s Vieux-Port district. 

Up to 15mm of rain fell in a few minutes, flooding streets and leading to overwhelmed drainage networks. 

The roof of a 50m² building forming part of an Amazon warehouse in Saint-Martin de Crau was torn off, leading to 140 employees being evacuated. 

Much of the north of the department lost power after a 20,000V power line was damaged, before power was returned overnight.

Firefighters in the department received 700 calls during the most intense period of the storm (they typically receive 1,500 calls per day) carrying out 200 interventions. 

Marseille, alongside Bordeaux, Toulouse, Paris, and Nice, saw several flights in and out of the cities cancelled or delayed during the storms. 

Elsewhere, the roof of the mairie in Mandeure (Doubs) was destroyed by strong winds. 

In Peyrehorade (Landes) – where a mini-tornado had injured two people on Sunday (August 23) –  storms caused several trees to be uprooted near an exit of the A64 motorway during Monday’s storms.

In Saint-Georges-d'Orques (Hérault) a police officer was injured after falling from a parapet during intense rain and winds of up to 100km/h. Several trees in the commune were uprooted by the gusts.

More storms on the way? 

State forecaster Météo France has updated warnings for today following the passage of the storm. 

A new bout of potentially stormy weather is set to make its way from the English Channel through Normandy and to Paris today, before splitting and heading east and south. 

Rain will cover these areas, with a risk of storms throughout, but conditions will not be as intense as on Monday. 

Departments across the storm’s potential path are on a yellow alert for stormy conditions, asking residents to stay vigilant but not requiring any specific action. However, keeping up with local conditions is recommended.  

Heightened alerts previously in place in Corsica today have been lifted.

In the south, calm conditions are forecast, if slightly cloudy. 

More storms are expected later in the week.