The tornado that struck a southern French village was "truly intense" and caused severe damage, a meteorologist said on Tuesday (August 25) after the rare weather event injured 39 people and damaged hundreds of buildings.

The tornado hit the village of Pomas late on Monday (August 24) as thunderstorms swept southern France following an intense heatwave. Two people were left in critical condition, while around 300 homes and the village's castle were damaged, local officials said.

"Tornadoes are not uncommon in France; there are several dozen a year on average. Fortunately, most are low-intensity tornadoes", said Francois Jobard, a meteorologist with national forecaster Meteo France.

About 1,400 households remained without electricity on Tuesday morning, according to the local prefecture.

Jobard said that although meteorologists can identify conditions that make tornadoes more likely to occur, forecasting the precise path of a tornado is impossible.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Tornado that struck French town of 'considerable intensity', says weather expert

VIDEO SHOWS: DAMAGED HOMES AND DEBRIS IN POMAS IN AFTERMATH OF TORNADO / SOUNDBITES OF METEOROLOGIST ABOUT TORNADO / MAP OF REGION HIT BY TORNADO

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: POMAS, FRANCE (AUGUST 25, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. HOUSE AND CAR DAMAGED BY TORNADO

2. PEOPLE CLEARING UP

3. MAN WALKING BY OVERTURNED CAR AFTER TORNADO2

4. DEBRIS IN AFTERMATH OF TORNADO

5. VARIOUS OF HOMES WITH DAMAGED ROOFS, DEBRIS

SAINT-MANDE, FRANCE (AUGUST 25, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

6. VARIOUS OF METEOROLOGIST, FRANCOIS JOBARD, WORKING

7. MAP OF REGION HIT BY TORNADO

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) METEOROLOGIST, FRANCOIS JOBARD, SAYING:

“The Pomas tornado was truly intense, causing severe damage to the municipality. The consequences would certainly have been different had it occurred out in the open countryside, so to speak.”

9. JOBARD DURING INTERVIEW

10. (SOUNDBITE) (French) METEOROLOGIST, FRANCOIS JOBARD, SAYING:

“Tornadoes are not uncommon in France; there are several dozen a year on average. Fortunately, most are low-intensity tornadoes, with estimated maximum wind speeds of around 100 to perhaps 120 kilometres per hour (62-74 mph). This results in relatively minor damage.”

11. VARIOUS OF METEOROLOGISTS WORKING

12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) METEOROLOGIST, FRANCOIS JOBARD, SAYING:

“However, it is important to note that it is absolutely impossible to predict the specific path of a tornado at the local level.There was no way to know in advance whether it would strike a particular town or, conversely, hit an open field or a forest.”

13. METEOROLOGISTS WORKING