Destructive tornado injures 26 in southern France

A powerful tornado tore through the Aude department in southern France, between the towns of Carcassonne and Limoux, on Tuesday evening. According to local authorities, 26 people were injured and more than 100 buildings were damaged.

The first reports of the tornado came in around 5:20 p.m. local time. The storm formed from an unusually powerful supercell — a thunderstorm cloud with a rotating updraft. French meteorologists issued an emergency warning: "A supercell over the Aude department is producing a destructive tornado with confirmed ground contact. Avoid the area — this storm is life-threatening."

Devastation in the town of Pomas

The worst damage occurred in the small town of Pomas, home to around a thousand people. The tornado ripped roofs off houses, and reports suggest some buildings were completely destroyed. Firefighters, gendarmes and rescue teams are still working at the scene.

In addition to the tornado, the supercell brought hail up to four centimetres in diameter. Around 2,800 households were left without electricity.

Czech meteorologists weigh in

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute also commented on the event. "The exact intensity of the tornado is still unclear — only a detailed on-site survey will confirm that. But judging by the scale of destruction, ranging from badly damaged to completely obliterated houses, this was clearly a very strong tornado," the institute said in a post on its Facebook page.

According to experts, the tornado formed in an area relatively atypical for such phenomena. Radar data showed that, even before the tornado appeared, another, more powerful storm system existed to the west of the main supercell. The institute suggests that the proximity of this second storm may have contributed to the tornado's formation — a similar interaction between storms was observed, for instance, in Moravia in 2021.

Source: novinky.cz