Tornado in France injures 41 people, damages hundreds of homes

A powerful tornado tore through the village of Pomas in southwestern France, leaving 41 people injured and damaging an estimated 300 homes. The twister struck on Monday, August 24, 2026, causing extensive damage in the small community of 1,000 residents, with some homes losing their roofs entirely.

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The tornado hit hardest in the village of Pomas, with a population of 1,000, damaging an estimated 300 homes, in some cases ripping their roofs off.

More than 120 emergency workers responded to the scene, and 15 individuals required hospitalization. Among the injured was a pregnant woman whose house collapsed on her, according to her husband. The national weather service, Meteo-France, reported wind speeds reaching up to 73 miles per hour in the nearby village of Arquettes-en-Val, where the tornado was captured forming beneath a violent supercell thunderstorm.

The severe weather impacted a wider area, with authorities placing parts of southwestern France on orange alert for storms. This led to widespread power outages affecting an estimated 2,800 homes across 10 villages. Transportation networks were significantly disrupted, with delayed trains, closed roads, and cancellations at airports in major cities including Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, and even Paris.

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They included a pregnant woman who was hurt when her house collapsed on her

The storm also forced the cancellation of the third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race, which was scheduled to take place in the Aude region. A hailstorm prompted riders to seek shelter, leading officials to call off the event. While France experiences several dozen tornadoes each year, this particular event caused significant damage and injuries in the affected region.

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winds reached up to 73 miles per hour