Spectacular Tornado Videos from South of France
May 02, 2012; 11:00 AM
A tornado touched down in the countryside of southern France on Sunday, presenting a spectacular opportunity for camera-wielding witnesses.
Only minor damage was reported, the EarthSky website said on Monday. A French website, Meteorologic, called the tornado an F-1, implying highest winds of 73-112 mph (about 115 to 180 km/h).
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The dust-laden funnel played beneath a thunderstorm near Toulouse, EarthSky said. This was confirmed by uploads of numerous videos posted Sunday to YouTube.com.
Weather observations from Toulouse available to AccuWeather.com 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.
Violent tornadoes are rare in France, EarthSky said. However, an Aug. 3, 2008, a twister tore through the town of Hautmont and several other towns, killing four people.
Video credit: Ressaix01/YouTube.com
Video credit: TheeAdrienn/YouTube.com