Corsica thunderstorm: French island battered by violent winds

Corsica has been hit by a severe thunderstorm this morning, delivering damaging wind gusts over 120mph.

A Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) brought violent conditions to the French island of Corsica between 8 and 9am this morning. An MCS is a cluster of organized thunderstorms that act as a larger-scale weather system, often persisting for hours as it moves.

On the WeatherRadar there is a distinct 'bow echo' as it crosses Corsica. A bow echo is a characteristic seen on a radar shaped like an archer’s bow that can produce severe winds and tornadoes, causing major damage.

Extensive damage has indeed already been reported, after an exceptional wind gust of 139mph was recorded at Marignana, 122mph in Calvi, and 81mph in its capital, Ajaccio.

The storm is now bearing down on Italy, where the coast between Genoa and Elba will likely also see impacts from the bow echo. La Spezia in particular, could see the strongest wind gusts in the firing line.