REACTION
At least one tornado struck the department of Herault late Sunday morning, passing along the A75 between Pezenas and Clermont. Several municipalities have been traversed by the phenomenon, mainly on the side of the Cevennes with gusts up to 170 km / h. On the images and videos posted on the social networks, one can see a very big black cloud and cars deviated on the highway because of the force of the winds.
TUBA OR TORNADO IN THE HÉRAULT ️ ️
Under a violent thunderstorm, a snorkel (tornado primer) was photographed on the A75. The contact with the ground is not yet determined.
Photo: Olivia Mage for @ WeatherLanguedocpic.twitter.com / 9LUQUV5Cf1
"I saw clouds spinning too fast to make it normal, so I thought, 'Something's going on,'" Guillaume tells Europe 1, who has been filming the scene since his home in Puilacher about three kilometers from the tornado. "And then I saw that it was a snorkel so a form of tornado that does not go down, and I saw that it was loading and widening ... It's not usual at all, d We usually see this on TV and there we see it in front of home ... I'm not worried but not reassured anyway. "
Property damage
The phenomenon only lasted a few minutes but the strong winds caused material damage on the A75 and in several villages. "Fortunately, the tornado did not cross the village in the entire center," says Olivier Bernardi, the mayor of Aspiran, one of the municipalities visited by the tornado. "But she followed the highway and then touched an eccentric subdivision, it ripped off the panels, some street furniture, some roofs ... But no people relocated, so more fear than harm."
According to a final report, 26 houses were affected and firefighters intervened throughout the afternoon to cover the torn roofs. The tornado then went to the Cévennes Gardoises and the Ardèche department is also placed in vigilance orange rain floods and thunderstorms.