Have tropical cyclones already touched France? 08/22/2025

A cyclone approaching Europe in the coming days – Have tropical cyclones already touched

Cyclone Erin in the Atlantic has been making the news in recent days. Similarly, Indeed. Similarly, even if it has not touched inhabited lands, it now takes the direction of Europe, being taken up by the ocean flow. Meanwhile, Fortunately. Similarly, it will lose its tropical characteristics during the weekend and evolve into “simple” active depression west of the British islands by the beginning of next week.

Hurricane trajectory then Erin depression until Monday August 25, 2025 – NHC

The evolution of this tropical system is ultimately quite classic. For example, Indeed. it is relatively frequent that tropical cyclones evolve to the have tropical cyclones already touched Atlantic-North and then observe an extra-tropical transition by approaching our continent.

An extropical. or post-tower transition corresponds to the moment when a tropical system loses its characteristics (convection and heat supply) to enter an extraropical dynamic.

The storm finds its dynamics in the air mass conflict and large -scale dynamics. The transition is generally done during the meeting of cold waters (which cut convection). in contact with cold air mass.

Extractical transition from Hurricane Fiona between September 23 and 24, 2022 – NOAA

Thus, the conditions are generally very unfavorable to cyclones near Europe, especially due to the colder waters bordering our continent but also with winds of altitude, stronger and turbulent than further south which tend to quickly destroy tropical systems.

Have cyclones already touched Europe?

Ophélia in 2017

However, some tropical systems have tropical cyclones already touched have already approached European coasts in the past. One of the best known is the Ouragan Ophélia, a cyclone formed in October 2017 near Azores, quickly became major. It was the most northeast major hurricane ever formed, in an area where Azores are usually located.

Hurricane Ophélia near Azores, Morocco and Spain on October 14, 2017 – Météo-France archives

For several days, forecasts reported a risk of impact of this system on Europe with remaining tropical characteristics. However. the system finally carried out its extra-tropical transition a few tens of kilometers from the Irish coast on October 17, 2017, still bringing a notable storm to the country.

Ophélia extropical transition – lechroniqueeteo

Leslie in 2018 and Vince in have tropical cyclones already touched 2005

If Ophélia had lost its tropical characteristics before reaching the continent, the story was different for Leslie the following year. This hurricane was quite atypical because it will have parked in the North Atlantic Basin for several days. suffered two rise in power, passing it from tropical storm to category 1 hurricane before being picked up by zonal traffic and aging on Portugal as tropical storm.

Hurricane Leslie, shortly after the loss of her eye, taken up by the cold front of the Callun depression, then located on the British Islands – Severe-Weather-Europe

Leslie was thus the second system of modern meteorology to touch land in Europe still tropicalized. The first was Hurricane Vince in 2005, the first tropical system to reach Europe from all modern meteorology.

Again, this system had touched the have tropical cyclones already touched Iberian peninsula, having largely lost in intensity before stiff on the land. Nevertheless, as for Leslie, it had retained its tropical characteristics to Europe.

Vince, demoted to the rank of tropical depression (TD) touching Spain on October 11, 2005 – NOAA

Thus, it is quite possible that a tropical system can touch Europe, several cases having already been identified in the past, concerning each time the Iberian Peninsula. Nevertheless. none hurricane has already touched the continent, the systems having stranded on Spain or Portugal having largely lost in intensity before reaching the land.

In a context of global warming. surface waters are increasingly hot, and therefore able to support a tropical hurricane further, and the “perfect” situation has probably not yet occurred. There is therefore few doubts that Europe is affected in the more. have tropical cyclones already touched less close future by a tropical hurricane, the Iberian Peninsula in line of sight

What about France?

For France, it seems more complicated. Our country is located more from the training sectors of tropical cyclones. the waters of the Atlantic are not warm enough near France to be able to support a tropical system in a lasting way, not to mention the winds at altitude. The risk that a system comes to run up very attenuated on our ribs cannot be excluded. although it seems lower than on Spain or even Ireland.

History of tropical cyclone trajectories on the Atlantic since 1951 – Via meteo-tropicale.fr

The conditions are however more favorable on the side of the Mediterranean basin but it is too. little extensive for a real tropical cyclone to be able to have tropical cyclones already touched form there. However, almost every fall, the Mediterranean actually sees a small cyclonic phenomena forming.

These storms are called Medicans, compression of Mediterranean and Hurricane. Generally less intense, they can still cause winds of the force of a category 1 or 2 hurricane and have an eye. However, their training conditions do not allow them to take the intensity and extent of tropical systems for the moment

The medicine of November 7, 2011 in the Lion Gulf, between Var and Corsica -Météo-France archive

Such systems are nevertheless dangerous and seem to be more and more frequent with the warming of the Mediterranean waters following global global warming. In November 2011. a medicine had touched the Var, causing intense rains (2501mm in 24 hours in Bormes-les-Mimosas) and winds up to 154km/h in Saint-Raphaël.

have tropical cyclones already touched

Author: Tristan Bergen