A tornado swept through a village in southwestern France on Monday, injuring 41 individuals and damaging hundreds of homes, as reported by authorities. French officials had issued an orange alert for storms in the country’s southwest, leading to power outages and transportation disruptions in various areas.
In the Aude region, the Vuelta a España cycling race’s third stage was canceled due to a hailstorm, which forced participants to find shelter. Eyewitness footage from the village of Verzeille captured the tornado forming under a violent supercell thunderstorm near Carcassonne on August 24, 2026.
The village of Pomas, with about 1,000 residents, was most severely affected, with roughly 300 homes damaged, some losing their roofs. Over 120 emergency workers were deployed to assist. Among the injured, 15 were hospitalized, including a pregnant woman whose house collapsed, according to her husband.
Meteo-France, the national weather service, reported wind speeds reaching 73 miles per hour in the village of Arquettes-en-Val. The storm affected transportation across southern France, leading to train delays, road closures, and disruptions in airports located in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, as well as in Paris. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot stated that approximately 2,800 homes lost electricity across 10 villages.
On average, France experiences several dozen tornadoes each year.