A powerful tornado swept through a Paris suburb
Ermont-sur-Oise (Paris suburb), October 2025 – A rare but powerful tornado swept through the French suburb of Ermont-sur-Oise, leaving behind scars of destruction, one dead, and several injured, authorities and witnesses reported. On Monday evening, the powerful tornado literally tore down construction cranes, toppled trees, and knocked out power to about 2,000 homes.
Local emergency services are working around the clock to assess damage and restore infrastructure.
Meteorologists note that this event, extremely rare for the region north of Paris, was the result of a combination of a powerful jet stream, warm, moist air, and wind shear—conditions more common in areas with a higher risk of tornadoes. In this situation, these extreme factors coincided and triggered the rapid formation of a vortex within the overall storm system.
Experts warn that while a repeat of this event is unlikely in the coming hours, the region remains under heightened alert. Northern France may experience thunderstorms, squalls, and heavy rainfall over the next 24-48 hours, as residual atmospheric instability and frontal waves persist.
People are advised to monitor official warnings, especially if construction and restoration work is ongoing in the damaged areas.
🚨☠️ Plusieurs dégâts matériels, un mort et plusieurs autres personnes blessées suite à la tornade hier à Ermont, particulièrement forte. Cela s’est produit dans le département de Val-d’Oise en France 🇨🇵 #drame #tornadeermont #tornado #ermont pic.twitter.com/zVJ1ilnIdx
— HISTOIRES DE GOATS (@BAMOS7MOI) October 21, 2025
Tornado timeline: Ermont (Paris suburb)
At the beginning of the week, a powerful low-pressure area associated with an active jet stream formed over northwestern France and the British Isles and The influx of warm, moist air from the southwest. This scenario is believed to have created conditions particularly favorable for tornadoes: a combination of moisture, lift, wind shear, and localized convection.
Tornado
- On Monday (October 20, 2025), a tornado of rare strength for the region was recorded during the afternoon/evening over the Paris suburb of Ermont (Val-d’Oise department).
- Blast winds tore off roofs, blew out windows, and toppled large construction cranes—one of the towers collapsed directly onto a building.
- According to official reports, at least one person died—a 23-year-old construction worker. At least nine people were injured, four of them in serious condition.
- About 1,700 homes were left without power. Trees were uprooted, and streets were blocked.
📌‼️‼️A rare tornado struck north of Paris on Monday, toppling three construction cranes in the town of Ermont.
One construction worker was killed, 10 people were injured, and four are in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/TWFnXB3VCM
— The Battlefield (@teoshengelia29) October 21, 2025
The Aftermath and Response
- After the tornado struck, first responders (firefighters, police, and paramedics) began evacuating, clearing debris, and restoring communications.
- Authorities have launched an investigation — prosecutor Val d’Oise reported an investigation into possible safety violations at the construction site.
As of today, restoration work is ongoing: power is being restored, damage to structures and infrastructure is being assessed. Residents are advised to avoid damaged buildings and follow emergency instructions. It was also noted that such tornadoes in France are extremely rare and fatal—the last recorded fatality was about 17 years ago.
Gleb Perov is the founder and chief meteorologist of POGODNIK, a leading weather forecasting service in Eastern Europe. With over 15 years of hands-on experience in meteorology and climate analysis, he has worked private weather services.
Gleb is the author of numerous scientific and analytical publications on climate, magnetic storms, and atmospheric processes. He regularly collaborates with major international agencies such as NOAA, ECMWF.
