In brief
A powerful tornado tore through the village of Pomas in southwest France on 24 August, injuring 39 residents and damaging roughly 300 homes. Winds reached 117km/h, tearing roofs off houses and toppling trees. Emergency crews, the local fire department and 120 volunteers rushed to the site, while hospitals treated 15 patients, including a pregnant woman who had to seek medical aid in the rubble. The storm also forced the cancellation of Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España and caused flight delays across several French airports. In the wake of a hotter-than-normal summer, the tornado highlights France’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather events.
A tornado has torn through the village of Pomas in south‑west France, injuring 39 people and damaging nearly 300 homes.
Local authorities say the funnel struck the area Saturday night, with 117km/h winds ripping roofs, collapsing a stone castle and uprooting trees. Three hundred homes were damaged and dozens suffered casualty. Fifteen people were taken to hospital, and a pregnant woman was admitted after her house collapsed on her.
Emergency workers—both civil and volunteer—banded together with the local fire department to clear debris. “Half the village has been destroyed,” said resident Pierre, who described the tornado as a “huge red and yellow chimney” that swept through the streets.
The violence was part of a broader weather front that also halted Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España, forcing the riders to take refuge 15km from the finish line. Airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and the suburbs of Paris reported flight delays and cancellations, said Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
France’s national weather service reported that the country usually sees several dozen tornadoes per year, but this event stands out for its intensity and the extent of damage. It follows the summer’s brutal heat waves and wildfires that scorched 42,000 hectares of the southwest, keeping authorities on high alert.
Officials continue to monitor the situation while providing medical care and logistical support to the affected villages, which remain under an “orange alert” for thunderstorms.
