A tornado was observed in Creuse this Thursday afternoon in the town of Pontarion. Motorists filmed this rare weather phenomenon. Firefighters are hard at work and the school will be closed this Friday. Caution is required in Creuse due to a risk of violent phenomena this Thursday evening in this department placed in yellow vigilance.
Behind the windshield of his car, the motorist can’t believe it: “As a storm passed, a tornado was observed this Thursday, shortly before 5 p.m., in Pontarion in the Creuse!”
Video of Jean-Marc Velleine:
It only took two or three minutes, shortly after 5 p.m., to cause significant damage about twenty kilometers south of Guéret, in Creuse. In the commune of Pontarion, a resident describes an apocalyptic scene:
It lifted everything, the roofs, the ground… in a few minutes.
A resident of Pontarion
Several motorists filmed the phenomenon with their cell phones.
Video of Kant’in Penot:
Rescuers are on the job this Thursday evening with nearly 150 calls handled, but fortunately no injuries (except a queen who received a tile on her foot), for a total of:
- 58 requests for help in the Pontarion sector, where three sectors have been identified after scouting. These are roofing problems that will be dealt with this Friday. The school will be closed this Friday in the commune. Firefighters will inspect all roads this Friday morning.
- Note also requests for help on the Bourganeuf area (12 relief requests also for roofs)
- 17 requests for intervention in the Le Lonzeil sector : 6 were processed this Thursday evening, the others, less urgent, are postponed until tomorrow.
About sixty firefighters were mobilized this Thursday and relief from neighboring departments is expected on Friday to increase the workforce to 100 people.
Power outages have been reported. At the height of the event, 900 customers were without electricity at 7 p.m. At 10 p.m., there were only 350 isolated homes left throughout the Creuse. But the Enedis teams are mobilized on the ground this Thursday evening. Trees on the roadway slow down operations.
The Creuse departmental council service lent a hand to the rescue teams to clear the roads due to numerous fallen trees on the 941st.
A landslide should be noted in the Thauron sector, near Pontarion: the roadway was washed away according to the emergency services.
Tornado confirmed
According to the Keraunos site, this observed phenomenon is indeed a tornado located on Pontarion and the locality of Thauron:
It formed around 4:55 p.m. on the southern edge of an active storm cell, which exhibited supercellular characteristics. The phenomenon, which was filmed, caused significant damage. There are currently reports of damaged roofs, with loose tiles, as well as trees on the ground and downed electric poles. An investigation is open to determine the trajectory and intensity of this tornado.
KeraunosFrench Observatory of Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms
The French observatory of tornadoes and violent storms, tornadoes were recorded in Creuse in 1832 in Dontreix, in 1993 in Chénérailles, in 1999 in Nouziers.
Météo France has placed the Creuse department on yellow vigilance for thunderstorms until midnight on March 10.