Eight French departments face severe thunderstorm warning with tornado risk
Eight French departments face severe thunderstorm warning with hail, extreme winds, and tornado risk peaking early afternoon.
Event / Disaster
Southwest France Thunderstorm Alert
Météo-France placed eight departments in southwestern France on orange alert for violent thunderstorms on May 10, 2026, with warnings for severe hail, high winds, electrical activity, and potential tornadoes.
1 reported locations
Daily activity
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2026-08-17 to 2026-11-14 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 10 May, 11:36 UTC
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What happened
Eight French departments placed on orange weather alert for severe thunderstorms
Météo-France issued an orange alert on Sunday, May 10, 2026 for eight departments in southwestern France: Ariège, Aveyron, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Tarn, and Tarn-et-Garonne. The alert was prompted by a significant thunderstorm episode expected to affect the region.
Thunderstorm activity expected to peak in early afternoon with two successive waves
The first thunderstorm cells were expected to arrive mid-afternoon on the Pyrenean foothills and western Occitanie, with activity arriving in two successive waves, with the first wave anticipated to be the most violent. Storm activity was forecast to shift eastward toward eastern Occitanie and the Rhône valley by evening, weakening in intensity.
Severe thunderstorms expected to produce large hail, wind gusts up to 100 km/h, and risk of tornadoes
Météo-France forecasted violent thunderstorm phenomena including hail measuring 2 to 3 centimeters in diameter, strong electrical activity, heavy rainfall, wind gusts between 80 and 90 km/h with localized gusts reaching 100 km/h, and a non-negligible risk of tornadoes in the affected southwestern regions.
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