A powerful tornado has torn through the southern French village of Pomas, injuring at least 39 people and damaging hundreds of homes in a storm described by authorities as exceptionally intense.
The tornado struck the village in the Aude department on Monday evening, with video showing a substantial funnel cloud sweeping across the area. Violent winds ripped roofs from buildings, shattered windows and caused widespread structural damage, with around 300 homes affected.
Two people were critically injured, while a pregnant woman was reportedly hurt after her house collapsed around her. Authorities said there were no reported deaths or missing people.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the storm as a “tornado of rare intensity” and praised emergency personnel and volunteers involved in the response.
Around 75 firefighters, supported by specialist teams, worked through the night searching damaged properties and assessing buildings. Displaced residents were accommodated in a community hall with assistance from the Red Cross, while others stayed with relatives or were moved to neighbouring communities.
The severe weather also caused extensive disruption to electricity supplies across southern France. Grid operator Enedis reported that approximately 21,000 households were without power on Tuesday morning, including about 1,600 in Aude. Local authorities later said around 1,400 properties in the department remained disconnected.
🌪️Eyewitness footage recorded from the village of #Verzeille captured a #tornado forming and swirling beneath a violent supercell thunderstorm south of the southern French city of #Carcassonne. https://t.co/tL5GfNBnxLpic.twitter.com/oGurjJdrxi
📌Authorities reported at least 26… pic.twitter.com/U5AVlVP0iw— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) August 25, 2026
Early assessments suggest the tornado was unusually powerful for France. Emmanuel Wesolek, president of severe-weather observatory Keraunos, estimated winds exceeded 200km/h and may have reached 240km/h.
Based on the damage, Wesolek said the tornado could fall between a high-end EF2 and low-end EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Although France experiences several dozen tornadoes during an average year, most are comparatively weak. Tornadoes reaching EF2 strength are uncommon, while EF3 events are considerably rarer, occurring approximately once every four years.
These floods in Nepal appear very extreme
Poor twats