A tornado swept through Villeneuve-sur-Lot on Tuesday March 5, with winds exceeding 130 km/h
“in view of the damage caused”
, according to the Météo Chaîne.
A relatively rare phenomenon in France, and which is difficult for forecasters to locate.
Le Figaro
explains this spectacular meteorological phenomenon to you.
What happened on Tuesday March 5?
It was 5 p.m., in the Rooy area, south of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, when the tornado appeared in the overcast sky, accompanied by a shower of hail and gusts of wind.
A tornado, whose violent winds exceeded
“130km/h or more given the damage”
, according to La Chaîne Météo, crossed nearly 500 meters in a few minutes.
“Fear crossed me, it was a phenomenal thing
,” said Jean-Pierre Schiefer, president of the Stade Villeneuvois Athletics, to Sud Ouest.
Moments after the tornado dissipated, the damage was already considerable.
An abandoned warehouse, already badly damaged, was destroyed in the process.
On the athletics stadium of the Myre-Moly stadium, the hammer throwing cage collapsed, the landing mats which are close to the quintal of the jumping events crossed the entire stadium.
Fences and trees were uprooted, cars damaged after being lifted from the ground.
Around thirty firefighters were deployed throughout the evening to deal with the material damage.
In terms of human toll, no serious injuries were reported.
The Lot-et-Garonnaise town hall has committed, in a press release, to making
“a request for recognition of a natural disaster”
as soon as possible while providing residents with
“support”
for those affected.
Also read: Devastating Hurricane Otis in Mexico: what reflexes should you adopt if you are faced with this type of phenomenon?
How to explain the meteorological phenomenon?
Tornadoes are a common news event in the United States, less so in France where their rarer nature makes the images even more impressive.
The situation is linked to an altitude cold drop, a pocket of cold air located at more than 5,000 meters above sea level.
The significant temperature difference with the ground, where the weather was mild, created powerful ascending and descending air currents.
“This difference in temperature on the vertical plane has created a very unstable air mass,”
analyzes Cyrille Duchesne, head of the forecast department at La Chaîne Météo.
The passage of a heavy downpour of a stormy nature, mixed with very violent and swirling winds, can result in favorable conditions for the appearance of a tornado in a very localized area.
This is the
“trolling phenomenon,”
he adds.
To see the appearance of a tornado,
“wind shear from different directions between the ground and altitude”
with
“rotating motion”
is necessary.
Winds exceeding
“130km/h”
given the damage swept the city.
Is this a common phenomenon in France?
There are “between 10 and 20 per year”
tornadoes
passing through metropolitan territory, according to Cyrille Duchesne, who specifies that they could very well
“arrive in big cities”
and not just in rural areas
.
But due to their unpredictable nature, and the difficulties in
“apprehending a phenomenon over a hundred meters”
, the exact figure is complicated to estimate.
“Some slip through the cracks of forecasters
,” confirms the meteorologist.
The phenomenon, which is extremely localized, makes the anticipation work of forecasters particularly complex.
On the other hand, global warming has no role in this appearance in the Lot-et-Garonnaise city.
“We are not seeing any more than before
,” assures Cyrille Duchesne.
It is the difference in temperature between the ground and altitude.
It’s a phenomenon that has always existed
.”
*The Weather Channel is a property of Le Figaro.