A tornado tore through Val-d’Oise, north of Paris, on Monday, toppling construction cranes, damaging properties and uprooting trees in its path.
One person was killed and four others critically injured, authorities said.
The town of Ermont, about 20 km (13 miles) northeast of Paris was hardest hit by the sudden twister, which caused damage in multiple districts.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on the X social media platform that it had been a storm of “rare intensity”.