Tornado strikes France, damaging more than 300 homes
Two people were critically injured in Pomas, while 21,000 households remained without power across southern France on Tuesday morning.
A tornado swept through Aude in south-western France late on Monday (August 24, 2026), damaging more than 300 homes and injuring 39 people, local authorities said.
Two of those injured were in critical condition in Pomas, one of the villages most severely affected by the storm.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the tornado on X as being of “rare intensity” and said it had caused severe damage in Pomas.
Tornado filmed above Verzeille
Social-media footage verified by Reuters showed the tornado rotating above Verzeille, near Pomas, late on Monday.
Many homes in its path were left with smashed windows after being struck by the powerful winds.
Power cuts affect 21,000 households
About 21,000 households across southern France remained without electricity by Tuesday morning, local grid operator Enedis said.
The outages included 1,600 households in Aude.
The tornado developed as the intense summer heatwave gave way to thunderstorms across many parts of southern France.
