Tornado strikes Pomas, injuring 41 and disrupting transport across southern France
A severe weather system in the Aude region has left 41 people injured and approximately 300 homes damaged in the village of Pomas, while widespread power outages and transport chaos affect major French cities.
A tornado tore through the village of Pomas in the Aude department of southwestern France on Monday, injuring 41 people and damaging approximately 300 homes. French authorities had previously placed swathes of the country’s southwest on an orange alert for storms, a precaution that proved necessary as the severe weather system battered the region.
The impact was most severe in Pomas, a village with a population of approximately 1,000. Officials reported that the storm ripped roofs from buildings, with some structures collapsing entirely. Fifteen of the injured were taken to hospital, including a pregnant woman who was hurt when her house collapsed on her, according to her husband.
The meteorological conditions were intense, with the national weather service, Meteo-France, recording winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour in the nearby village of Arquettes-en-Val. The storm system also caused significant disruption to essential services, leaving an estimated 2,800 homes across 10 villages without electricity.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported that the storms upended the transportation network, resulting in delayed trains and forced road closures. The disruption extended to major airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, and Paris, where delays and cancellations were recorded.
The severe weather also affected sporting events in the region. Officials cancelled the third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race, which was being held in the area, after a hailstorm forced riders to seek shelter.
While France experiences several dozen tornadoes per year on average, Meteo-France noted that the specific impact of global warming on the frequency and intensity of these events remains unclear.
