Tornado in Toulouse, France

A very rare event in France

Only minor damage was reported including collapsed walls and uprooted trees. Meteorologic reported the tornado as an F1, which would mean winds of 73-112 mph.

Several French websites – including Meteorologic.net – are reporting a tornado that formed near the city of Toulouse in southwestern France earlier today (April 29, 2012). A number of people apparently witnessed the tornado, and several caught photographs, some of which were uploaded to Twitter.

Tornado near Toulouse, France on April 29, 2012. Image Credit: www.infoclimat.fr

Click here to expand image above
The tornado was first sighted 15-20 kilometers (9 to 13 miles) south of Toulouse around 7:10 p.m. local time. The tornado then moved towards in a northeasterly direction toward the southern part of the city of Toulouse, France. Only minor damage was reported including collapsed walls, uprooted trees and cars moved out of place in Toulouse. Meteorologic reported:

This tornado apparently caused little damage. It could therefore be classified as F1 on the Fujita scale.

An F1 tornado is defined as having winds in the range of 73 to 112 miles per hour (117 to 180 kilometers per hour).

Tornado near Toulouse, France on April 29, 2012. Image Credit: @Miss_Yunnie on Twitter

Violent tornadoes are rare in France. On August 3, 2008, however, the town of Hautmont, France tornado was struck by a much more powerful tornado than the one that touched down near Toulouse today. The 2008 tornado left a path of destruction about 19 kilometers (12 mi) long through several small towns, especially in Hautmont, where four people were killed and another nine were injured by the tornado.

Tornado near Toulouse, France on April 29, 2012. Image Credit: Christopher Martin via LaChaineMeteo.com

Bottom line: A tornado touched down near the city of Toulouse in France on the evening of April 29, 2012. It did only minor damage and was reportedly classified as an F1 tornado on the Fujita scale.