On September 10, 1896, Paris was the scene of an exceptional meteorological event: a tornado ripped through the capital, sowing chaos and destruction in its wake. This rare phenomenon in an urban environment remains unique in the history of Paris, marking the city by its violence and rarity. To date, it is the only event of its kind to have struck the capital.
The day a tornado hit Paris
On September 10, shortly before 3 p.m., a thunderstorm cell formed over the capital, giving rise to a tornado near the Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th arrondissement. In just a few minutes, this devastating whirlwind covered some six kilometers, crossing six arrondissements, from the Saint-Sulpice district to the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Unlike the usual storms, this tornado developed and dissipated exclusively within Paris, affecting barely 2% of the city’s total surface area.
Winds reached speeds estimated between 180 and 220 km/h, uprooting trees, ripping off roofs and hurling objects into the air. Scenes of chaos were reported: overturned carriages, unmoored barges on the Seine and even an overturned omnibus near the Pont-au-Change. The flower market on Place Saint-Sulpice was destroyed in an instant, while the Île de la Cité and Les Halles districts suffered extensive damage.
The human toll was tragic: five people lost their lives, including a five-year-old child thrown against a parapet of the Pont-au-Change. Around 70 others were seriously injured. The victims also included a coachman crushed by his overturned vehicle. Accounts tell us that some residents, just a few streets away from the tragedy, had no idea that a tornado was striking their town.
This tornado remains the only phenomenon of its kind recorded in Paris in almost 400 years. Its exceptional character lies in its location: a heavily urbanized area where conditions for the formation of a tornado are rare. The press of the time described the event with horror. Le Matin described it as “a dreadful cyclone” that swept through the city “in a minute”, while Le Figaro emphasized the strange contrast between the affected areas and those that remained untouched. Even today, this episode serves as a reminder that even large metropolises are not immune to the unpredictable whims of nature.