Winds over 150km/h cause damage across south-east France
Trees uprooted and swimming pool roof blown away during Storm Deborah
Several trees were blown over during the powerful gusts. Archive photo shows tree uprooted during Storm Nils in February 2026
Shoot34/Shutterstock
Violent winds recorded at 110 km/h - 157 km/h caused trees to be uprooted and property damage in south-east France yesterday, as Storm Deborah passed through the area.
In central Marseille, an uprooted tree injured a passerby and in the city’s suburbs a swimming pool roof was torn off by the gusts.
More than 500 firefighters were stationed across the Bouches-du-Rhône department, mostly dealing with minor damage caused by trees being uprooted.
In neighbouring Var, parasols along the Toulon seafront were blown away by gusts, despite some being weighed down by up to 150kg concrete slabs, and the RD 6185 was closed near Grasse due to the storms.
Trees were blown over in La Seyne-sur-Mer, but did not cause any serious injuries.
Corsica was hit by gales of 157 km/h in Ajaccio, and saw snow at the 850m level.
No serious injuries were recorded.
Despite the powerful storm, state forecaster Météo France only issued tier-two yellow warnings for powerful winds, storms, and icy roads.
This asks residents to stay cautious when outside but unlike at higher alert levels does not specifically ask for people to stay inside during the conditions.
This weekend will see Mistral and Tramontane winds across the south, but they are not expected to reach the levels seen during Storm Deborah.
