A tornado struck Pomas in the Aude department on August 24, 2026, injuring 39 people and damaging about 300 homes, according to the Aude prefecture. About 1 400 households remained without electricity at 08:00 LT (06:00 UTC) the following morning, while firefighters and specialist teams continued reconnaissance and building-safety operations.

A tornado struck Pomas in the Aude department of southwestern France at around 17:20 LT (15:20 UTC) on August 24, injuring 39 people, including two critically, and damaging or destroying about 300 homes, according to the Aude prefecture.

Aude sub-prefect Marie-Hélène Bouissac said on August 25 that the casualty count was moving toward stabilization but was not yet considered final.

The prefecture reported 300 affected homes in Pomas, a village of just over 1 000 residents near Carcassonne. Reuters-verified footage also showed the tornado over nearby Verzeille, where buildings along its path sustained broken windows.

75 Firefighters remained deployed in Pomas on the morning of August 25, supported by specialists brought in as reinforcements while reconnaissance and verification operations continued. The prefecture said a building audit was assessing structural weaknesses and collapse risks.

Tarping operations on damaged homes were also underway later on August 25. Gendarmes secured the affected area, and several roads remained closed.

Residents who were evacuated and could not return home spent the night at the Pomas town hall with support from the French Red Cross. Many others stayed with relatives or in neighboring communities, while access to damaged areas remained restricted.

About 1 400 households in the affected area remained without electricity at 08:00 LT (06:00 UTC) on August 25, according to the prefecture.

Météo-France says mainland France records an average of a few dozen tornadoes each year, most of them weak. Tornadoes over land are observed mainly from May to October, with the northwestern part of the country and the Mediterranean coast among the areas more exposed to them.

References:

1 Tornade à Pomas — point de situation à 8h — Préfecture de l’Aude/X — August 25, 2026.

2 Rare tornado in southwestern France injures dozens, damages homes — Reuters — August 25, 2026.

Featured image credit: France 24