Storms and tornadoes of last centuries in France

Our ancestors, too, have experienced devastating weather phenomena ... Back on some of them.

©️Gallica - BnF

At the beginning of October 2020, the terrible storm Alex touched Brittany before continuing its way to the south of France and the center of Europe. The damage is important and the human balance is heavy. 7 French have lost their lives, around twenty are missing and the material damage is very impressive in the south-east of the country ...

Storms with important economic social impacts ...

Chacun d’entre nous garde certainement un souvenir particulier de la tempête de décembre 1999. Reconnue comme « Tempête du siècle » tant elle a été dévastatrice, trois dépressions ont frappé l’Europe et fait 92 victimes et plus de 2000 blessés rien qu’en France. 

To a lesser extent, several storms have deeply marked our national territory by the damage they caused. December 22, 1872, Little Marseillais identified disastrous hurricanes in Europe since the 4th century. 

On March 23, 1836, for example, a violent storm impacts the whole country. Violent winds cause the sinking of 78 sailors who left to fish off the coast of the test, in Gironde. This storm will also be at the origin of the fire that will ravage the village of Damascus-Dompaire in the Vosges. 

Another example, on February 3, 1904, the strength of the winds led to many submersions on Brittany and the English Channel. Molène Island is cut off from the world, the population fears famine. The residents of the Island of Sein try to escape tidal shirt by taking refuge on the roofs of the houses. The village of Saint Guénolé is flooded, just like Penmarch and the sea rises on 2km in the land. The island of Jersey undergoes an earthquake that will accentuate the great tides ... Several victims will be deplored and the Breton Lands flooded will remain sterile for several years. 

There are many storms and hurricanes in the ancient press. This is the case, for example, of theSeptember 13, 1903 qui relate les dégâts d’ « A hurricane on our coasts »And many claims, Mirror which highlights photos of the damage caused by theHurricane of January 1920 in Paris, or " méfaits de la tempêtes » dans l’Ouest-Eclair du 2 décembre 1935…

… To devastating tornadoes 

The intensity of tornadoes is evaluated according to the Fujita scale. Some tornadoes classified as EF4 (devastating damage, winds between 267 and 322km/h)) and EF5 (incredible damage, winds greater than 322km/h)) have struck France in recent centuries. 

The Tornado of Montville (EF5)) for example, strikes several municipalities of Seine-Maritime on August 19, 1845. It moved over 15 km and made 70 victims and 130 injured in its path. Thousands of trees are torn off, uprooted, flights. Houses are destroyed in dust and there are debris up to 30km from Montville ... The most affected municipalities are Montville, Saint-Jean-du-Cardonnay, Le Houlme, Malaunay, Eslettes, Anceumeville, Cières and Grugny.

The tornado of Saint-Claude (EF4)), moves on more than 80km, a record in France. On August 19, 1890, the Ain and the Jura trembled in the winds of this tornado. There are 6 deaths, fully destroyed forests and homes and even a wagon with a crane of 25 tonnes projected 20 meters further, that is to say all the power of these winds ...

Six years later, the Tornado of Paris marks the country more by its damage than its intensity (EF2)). On September 11, 1896, six arrondissements will be swept in a few minutes, the uprooted trees, the roofs torn off, the overthrown cars and 5 victims will be deplored ...

The press seizes the subject the next day and allows us to learn more:

"She was quite comparable, to the eye, to the famous column of fire of which the Bible speaks and which guided the Hebrews towards the Red Sea. »» (In the morning, 11/09/1896))

« [...] Le plus curieux, c’est que pendant ce temps, à Montmartre, dans le neuvième arrondissement, aux Champs-Elysées, au Champ-de-Mars, personne ne se doutait qu'un cyclone terrible exerçait ses ravages dans Paris. On avait de la pluie et c'était tout.

At four o'clock, the cyclone had passed. The sky was reassured. The rain stopped completely. "(Le Figaro, 11/09/1896))