Violent tornado near Toulouse, France

Last week we were reporting about tornado seen in Netherlands. Now a tornado touched down in the countryside of southern France on Sunday. Only minor damage was reported. According to a French website, Meteorologic, the tornado was rated as an F-1, implying highest winds about 115 to 180 km/h (73-112 mph).

The tornado was first sighted 15 to 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. The dust-laden funnel played beneath a thunderstorm and this was confirmed by numerous videos online. Here are some:

Weather observations from Toulouse showed thunderstorms in the area on late Sunday afternoon, local time. Weather maps showed that, at the time, a strong storm was centered off northwest France and southwest England, with cold front trailing south over southern France near Toulouse.

The MapSpace radar showed a strong storm moving northeast between 7 and 8 p.m. local time

Violent tornadoes are rare in France. However, an Aug. 3, 2008, a twister tore through the town of Hautmont and several other towns, killing four people. The 2008 tornado left a path of destruction about 19 kilometers (12 miles) long through several small towns.

Article is taken from:            http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/