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The Aude prefecture reported that 26 people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the tornado that struck the village of Pomas at approximately 5:20 p.m. local time on Monday. Around 100 homes suffered damage with many roofs torn off and debris scattered throughout the community of roughly 1,000 residents. More than 115 firefighters responded to the scene to handle emergency tasks and reopen blocked roads according to regional officials.
Euronews cited the prefecture as confirming the injury count at 26 after initial assessments with five of those evacuated to hospital for additional treatment. The tornado formed beneath a supercell thunderstorm that moved through southwestern France under an orange vigilance alert issued by Meteo-France for violent storms. Local authorities also noted that the system left about 2,800 households without power into Monday evening.
The European Severe Weather Database has recorded multiple tornadoes in France in recent years including seven on a single day in September 2025 four of which occurred in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region according to a Guardian weather tracker. Most such events produce limited impact yet this one produced extensive property destruction in Pomas. French meteorological services had warned of the risk for heavy rain strong winds and possible flooding across several southern departments.
BBC News broadcast video recorded by an eyewitness in nearby Verzeille that captured the tornado developing beneath the thunderstorm with winds measured above 100 kilometres per hour in the hardest-hit area. Several roads remained impassable because of fallen trees and debris in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Emergency teams worked through the evening to assess structural safety across the affected houses.
Power restoration crews continued efforts overnight in the Aude department to reconnect the thousands of households impacted by the outage the prefecture stated. Damage surveys were underway to establish the complete scale of losses to buildings and infrastructure. Neighbouring Catalonia in Spain experienced related flooding and fallen trees from the same weather disturbance according to Spanish reports.
Officials maintained the orange alert for additional thunderstorms forecast in the days following the tornado and urged residents to exercise caution. The coordinated response involved multiple agencies focused on restoring services and supporting those displaced by the property damage. Updated figures from local authorities placed the number of damaged homes closer to 300 in some assessments.
