Rare tornado touches down near the towns of Saint-Pierre-des-Landes and Ernée, France

A rare tornado touched down near the towns of Saint-Pierre-des-Landes and Ernée in the department of Mayenne, NW France on Sunday afternoon (LT), September 17, 2023.

The tornado formed between 17:30 and 17:45 LT, on the southern edge of a small but temporarily very active storm cell.

It destroyed several agricultural buildings and damaged the roofs of several homes.

An investigation is in progress to determine the trajectory and intensity of this tornado.

Incredible footage of the tornado that touched down near Ernée, northwestern France this afternoon. Damage reported, no details yet. pic.twitter.com/03F4TBLoOi

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) September 17, 2023

First look at structural damage from the tornado in NW France earlier today.

No injuries reported yet. pic.twitter.com/uuIpPI6JOC

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) September 17, 2023

🇫🇷 | Tornado visto en zonas de Ernée, Mayenne, #Francia. (Septiembre 17, 2023). #Tornado #Storm #Climagram pic.twitter.com/dhX7a7PLgf

— ⚠️Alerta Climagram🌎 (@deZabedrosky) September 17, 2023

Arguably the greatest tornado footage ever captured in France. Check out the helical vortices. Video courtesy of Jérémy Leroux. pic.twitter.com/t2esSP21Qi

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) September 17, 2023

The various supercells that hatched in the western third of the country on the same day produced violent hailstorms, reaching up to 8 cm (3.1 inches) in diameter in the Gers and up to 5 cm (2 inches) in Normandy.

Hailstorms such as these are not very frequent after mid-September, especially so widespread over a significant portion of the territory, Keraunos meteorologists said.

“As a result of the significant spatial extent and intensity of these storms, the day of September 17 became the stormiest September day since our records began in 2009. Indeed, the storm severity indicator (ISO), measured for almost 15 years, stands at more than 25 for the day. This value is temporary because all the damage scores have not yet taken place at the time of writing this news. But the value already exceeds that of 24.94 recorded on September 16, 2015.”

🚨 #Météo | Suite aux #orages, une quarantaine d’interventions sont en cours par le @Sdis32 dues à la grêle

👉 Secteurs touchés : #SaintClar, #SaintLeonard, #Tournecoupe

⚠️ Côté routes, les agents sont mobilisés sur une dizaine de points pour des chutes d’arbres et coulées pic.twitter.com/hsr3tRlccV

— Département du Gers (@LeGers32) September 17, 2023

⛈ Images impressionnantes des chutes de grêle à Sainte-Christie dans le Gers ce soir ! Cet orage touche désormais le Tarn-et-Garonne. (© Alain Pandelé via Gers Météo) pic.twitter.com/mGKGN3QIqq

— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) September 17, 2023

References:

¹ Tornado in Mayenne on September 17 – Keraunos – September 17, 2023

² September 17 becomes the stormiest day in September since our records began – Keraunos – September 18, 2023

Featured image credit: Météo Mayenne