Severe winds, tornado wreaks havoc in Marne, France
An intense storm accompanied by tornadoes and strong winds hit parts of France on April 29, 2018. Significant material damage was reported in three villages in the department of Marne.
According to L'Union, identical phenomena were also reported in Aube and Ardennes departments and orange alert for severe weather conditions was put in place.
The storm formed on April 29, as the warm air coming up from the south towards Alsace and a colder mass coming from the Atlantic merged.
Suite et fin pic.twitter.com/ZUF2ZvHemS
— Jm Cornuaille (@jmcornuaille) April 29, 2018
Le village entier est touché @UnionArdennais pic.twitter.com/kFVN5fTxiF
— Jm Cornuaille (@jmcornuaille) April 29, 2018
Une mini tornade a frappé Cloyes-sur-Marne. Les dégâts sont impressionnants @UnionArdennais pic.twitter.com/PsTBxBNnPG
— Jm Cornuaille (@jmcornuaille) April 29, 2018
Spring is favorable to this kind of hot and cold air encounters. A week ago, France was enjoying summer temperatures but on May 1, snow fell in Normandy area.
"We are in a situation where during the same day, it was 10 °C (50 °F) in Normandy and 25 °C (77 °F) in Strasbourg", describes Frédéric Decker, a meteorologist at Météo News. Very strong contrasts, more likely to be created in the middle of a season like spring than in the middle of winter.
"On average, we have four or five (tornadoes) a year," continues Decker. "But the number can fluctuate enormously from one year to the next."
No official wind speed measurements could be made in the Marne, but the notable damage – collapsed buildings, roofs and uprooted trees – makes it possible to affirm that the gusts reached locally between 150 and 200 km/h (93 – 124 mph). Three people were injured when a tree fell on their car.
Une nouvelle vidéo de la tornade de Maureillas dans les #PyreneesOrientales, filmée par Jean Pierre Grau depuis Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts. Vidéo via @MeteoLanguedoc https://t.co/jnK05dbFvS pic.twitter.com/c83WAjongv
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) January 7, 2018
Featured image: ChroniquesChaotiques YouTube video
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