Pomas tornado damage under assessment following rare strike
Pomas tornado damage assessment progresses following the rare August strike.
Event / Disaster
France August 2026 Weather Events
Severe weather affecting France in August 2026, including thunderstorms with hail and tornadoes, extreme heat in Corsica, and tornado damage in Pomas.
10 reported locations
Daily activity
8 articles0 articles
2026-08-24 to 2026-11-08 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 24 Aug, 07:04 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
Risk of tornadoes in Auvergne, Bourgogne, and Vosges regions
Météo-France warned of possible tornadic phenomena in the Auvergne, Bourgogne, and Vosges regions, with such phenomena not entirely excluded elsewhere during the thunderstorm event.
Severe storms struck France on Wednesday with winds up to 98 km/h
On August 26, 2026, 12 French departments were under orange thunderstorm alert as severe storms brought wind gusts up to 98 km/h recorded at Blois (Loir-et-Cher), and more than 40 mm of rainfall recorded at La Gaubretière (Vendée) and Nueil-les-Aubiers (Deux-Sèvres).
Severe thunderstorms expected with hail, heavy rain, and strong winds
Météo-France warned of violent thunderstorm phenomena expected in affected regions, including hail stones 2-5 cm in size, heavy rainfall with hourly accumulations up to 30 mm, wind gusts reaching 80-100 km/h or stronger locally, and intense electrical activity.
23 French departments placed on orange alert for severe thunderstorms
Météo-France placed 23 French departments on orange alert for severe thunderstorms on Thursday, August 27, 2026, in the afternoon. The affected departments are: Allier, Aube, Calvados, Cantal, Côte-d'Or, Eure, Loire, Maine-et-Loire, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Nord, Oise, Orne, Pas-de-Calais, Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, Sarthe, Seine-Maritime, Somme, Vosges, and Yonne.
Corsica placed on orange heat alert
Both Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse departments were placed on orange alert for extreme heat at noon on August 27, 2026, with temperatures expected to reach 31-34°C and locally up to 36°C, with a sirocco wind effect potentially bringing peaks above 40°C.
Devastating tornado struck Pomas village in Aude department
A devastating tornado struck the village of Pomas in the Aude department during violent thunderstorms that crossed southern France in the night of August 25-26, 2026.
Destructive tornado strikes Aude department in southern France
A devastating tornado struck the village of Pomas in the Aude department during violent storms that occurred in the night between Monday August 24 and Tuesday August 25. This tornado caused significant destruction in the affected area.
Severe storms expected to bring large hail, intense rainfall, and strong winds
The forecasted storms are expected to bring medium to large hail measuring 2 to 5 centimeters, heavy rainfall with hourly accumulations reaching 30 millimeters, wind gusts of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour or higher in some areas, and intense electrical activity. Météo-France noted a significant risk of violent weather phenomena during this episode.
Météo-France places 12 western French departments on orange alert for storms
Météo-France issued an orange alert for thunderstorms affecting 12 departments in western and central France: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Ille-et-Vilaine, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée, and Vienne. The alert became effective from 18:00 on August 26 through 02:00 on August 27, with storms moving eastward.
Parts of southern France remain on yellow alert following previous storms
Following the violent storms of August 24, portions of Occitanie region including Hautes-Pyrénées, Gers, and Lot remained on yellow alert as of August 26. The departments of Hérault, Gard, and Aude, which were particularly affected by the August 24 storms, returned to normal alert status.
Severe storms damage infrastructure across Occitanie region
Violent storms swept across the Occitanie region on Monday, August 24, 2026, damaging roads and railway lines in the Hérault and Gard departments. The storms caused widespread disruption to transportation infrastructure.
Flash flooding and tree damage from storm in Montpellier
An intense storm hit Montpellier on Monday, August 24, 2026 in early evening. Roads were flooded in the northern part of the city, particularly near the Lyre intersection. Numerous trees were uprooted and covered roadways with branches.
Severe storms expected to continue through Friday with tornado risk
Meteorological forecasts indicate that atmospheric conditions remain favorable for dangerous weather phenomena through Friday. Strong storms with hail and powerful wind gusts are expected from Wednesday afternoon onwards, with the greatest risk of violent storms on Thursday. A large area around the Massif Central is most exposed. Meteorologists warn of potential tornadoes, downward wind gusts, and intense electrical activity through the end of the week.
Storm causes power outages and road closures in Volvestre
Violent storms and strong winds affected the Volvestre region in Ariège. Several trees fell onto roads and multiple households were temporarily without electricity. No injuries were reported.
Tarn department firefighters handle 180 storm-related calls
Emergency services in the Tarn department responded to 180 calls from storm-related incidents on Monday, August 24, 2026—triple the normal volume of 60 calls—resulting in 36 interventions. Winds reached 110 km/h, with damage concentrated in western Tarn including the Lauragais and Graulhétois areas.
Tornado strikes Pomas, Aude with rare intensity
A tornado of rare intensity struck the village of Pomas in the Aude department on Monday, August 24, 2026. The tornado caused 41 injuries, with 15 people hospitalized, and damaged nearly 300 homes.
Roads blocked across Tarn by fallen trees and debris
The RD112 road connecting Castres to Lavaur was closed until Tuesday morning between Saint-Paul-Cap-de-Joux and Guitalens after two large plane trees fell onto the roadway. Departmental roads 47 and 44 were also temporarily closed. Downed electrical cables and broken fiber poles blocked roads near Jonquières and between Algans and Lacroisille.
Lightning-caused fires in Tarn during storm
Lightning strikes during the August 24 storm sparked two tree fires in Orban and Verdalle, and damaged two homes in Fauch and Albi in the Tarn department.
Early morning thunderstorms affect southwestern France on August 23-24
Thunderstorms already occurred on the evening of August 23 and during the night of August 23-24 in the extreme southwest of France, producing wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h and rainfall accumulations of 20 to 40 mm in some areas. By 2 AM on August 24, approximately 7,500 households in the Landes department were without electricity.
Météo-France issues orange weather alert for 16 southern French departments
Météo-France placed 16 departments across southern and central France on orange alert for severe thunderstorms on August 24, 2026. The alert begins at 14:00 for Gers and Lot-et-Garonne, expanding at 15:00 to include Allier, Bouches-du-Rhône, Cantal, Gard, Hérault, Haute-Garonne, Puy-de-Dôme, Var, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot, Dordogne, Corrèze, Tarn, and Aveyron. Additional departments near Vendée, Poitou, central France, and southern Burgundy may be added.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Corsica escalates to orange heat alert amid expanding weather crisis
Corsica placed on orange heat alert amid France's expanding severe weather emergency.
Storm system expands to 23 departments with tornado and severe wind risks
Severe storm system expands to 23 departments with hail, rain, winds, and tornado risk.
Tornado damage assessment underway in Pomas after rare storm strike
Damage assessment underway following tornado strike in Pomas, Aude during regional storms.
Météo-France expands orange alert to 12 western departments amid storm surge
Orange alert expanded to 12 western French departments for severe storms with hail and strong winds.
Storm response intensifies as damage spreads across southern France
Widespread storm damage across southern France drives emergency response through Friday.
Tornado strikes Pomas with rare intensity amid August storms
Tornado hit Pomas, Aude during rare severe weather event in August 2026.
Orange alert issued as severe storms threaten southern France
Orange alert: severe storms with 120 km/h winds and 50mm/hour rain threat southern France.