Strong tornado hit Pomas in southwestern France — 41 injured, around 300 houses damaged

A strong tornado struck the village of Pomas in southwestern France on 24 August 2026, injuring 41 people and causing significant material damage to hundreds of houses and vehicles.

Videos shared on social networks show uprooted trees, destroyed cars and collapsed parts of houses; footage from Pomas clearly shows a swirling column forming above the settlement.

Winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour damaged about 300 homes, and around 2,800 households in 10 villages were left without electricity. More than 120 emergency personnel were deployed on the ground; local authorities said that 15 injured were taken to hospital, including a pregnant woman who was injured after parts of a damaged house fell on her.

Witnesses and footage

Posts on Twitter from 24 August 2026 capture the moment: Météo Express wrote: “Even more impressive footage of the tornado that passed south of Carcassonne in the Aude area, from the commune of Verzej. Damages have been reported. (© Denis Maréchal)” And Guillaume Woznica posted: “This video is real!! Here is what the residents of #Pomas experienced around 5 p.m., as this tornado of exceptional size and strength passed. These shots were taken in the immediate vicinity of the cone (the vortex) that touched the ground and created this phenomenon…”

Traffic disruptions

The storm caused serious traffic disruptions and affected air transport: delays and cancellations of flights were recorded at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, as well as at several airports north of Paris.

Authorities warn that this storm comes after a period of extreme weather in Europe, marked by intense heatwaves and large wildfires; in southwestern France about 42,000 hectares burned in one of the largest fires since World War II. According to France's national meteorological service, the country on average records several dozen tornadoes annually.

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