2026 Turkey tornado outbreak

2026 Turkey tornado outbreak

File:Akçamezra tornado damage 10.jpg IF3 damage produced by the Çangallı tornado.
Meteorological history
Duration	May 3, 2026
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes	13
Maximum rating	IF3 tornado
Duration	6 hours, 10 minutes
Highest winds	Tornadic – 290 km/h (180 mph) (Akçamezra, Turkey IF3 on May 3)
Highest gust	Non-tornadic – 105 km/h (65 mph) (Sorèze, France)
Largest hail	6.5 cm (2.6 in) (in Bab Lajmun, Syria)
Overall effects
Fatalities	1 (+1 non–tornadic)
Injuries	19
Areas affected	Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus
IBTrACS
Part of the Tornadoes of 2026

A significant tornado outbreak took place on May 3, 2026 across the Middle Eastern countries of Turkey and Syria. Throughout the day, Multiple strong tornadoes touched down in southern Turkey, Multiple structures and vegetation were severely damaged with 2 people being injured by an IF3 tornado. 1 person was injured and homes were damaged by an IF1.5 in Oğuzeli. An IF2.5 tornado hit the Malta village significantly damaging structures. 4 people were injured after an IF2 hit Viranşehir collapsing structures. 8 people were injured after another tornado hit Viranşehir leveling farm buildings.

Meteorological synopsis

Early on May 3, the European Storm Forecast Experiment outlined a level 1/3 severe weather threat across Europe and the Mediterranean. A primary severe hazard area was designated for southwestern and west-central France, where a 15–20 m/s (30–40 knots) deep-layer shear vector overlapped 500–1000 J/kg of most-unstable convective available potential energy (MUCAPE).

The environment was expected to produce numerous robust multicells and a few supercells capable of generating large hail and strong downbursts, particularly west and south of Toulouse. Concurrently, a low-end tornado risk was outlined across the southern United Kingdom along a zonally oriented convergence zone due to diurnally driven low-level instability and low lifted condensation levels (LCL).

Across northwestern Algeria, onshore flow of a moist marine airmass beneath steep mid-level lapse rates prompted a risk area for MUCAPE exceeding 1000 J/kg and strong 3–6 km shear, favoring organized thunderstorms. For southern Turkey and northern Syria, overlapping thermodynamic and kinematic ingredients were similarly outlined for a severe risk of large hail and damaging winds.

Confirmed tornadoes

Template:Tornado chart small IF-scale

3 May event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Sunday, 3 May 2026

IF#	Location	Region	Country	Start coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Max. width
IF1	Sygkrasi	Famagusta	Cyprus	35.273°N 33.852°E / 35.273; 33.852 (Sygkrasi (3 May, IF1)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	11:05
	A tornado was reported to have damaged roofs in Sygkrasi.
IF3	S of Ajjasza, SY to Kayacık, TR	Aleppo (SY), Kilis (TR)	Syria, Turkey	36.668°N 37.521°E / 36.668; 37.521 (Ajjasza (3 May, IF3)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	12:10–12:40	25.9 km (16.1 mi)	650 m (710 yd)
	See section on this tornado. 2 people were injured.
IF1.5	Oğuzeli	Gaziantep	Turkey	36.9651°N 37.5085°E / 36.9651; 37.5085 (Oğuzeli (3 May, IF1.5)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	13:20
	This tornado impacted Oğuzeli, downing numerous trees and badly damaging roofs. A man was injured after his vehicle he was driving struck a road sign thrown by the tornado.
IF2	E of Harran	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	36.8239°N 37.572°E / 36.8239; 37.572 (Aşağı Koçlu (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	14:45
	A strong damaged solar panels around Aşağıkoçlu.
IF2	ENE of Harran	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.0069°N 39.4224°E / 37.0069; 39.4224 (Yukarı Yazıcı (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:00
	This significant tornado badly damaged homes and leveled farm buildings in Yukarıyazıcı. Roofs were also destroyed.
IF2.5	SSW of Viranşehir	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.0459°N 39.6428°E / 37.0459; 39.6428 (Malta (3 May, IF2.5)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:00
	A strong tornado caused significant damage to homes in the village of Malta.
IF2	Viranşehir	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.2302°N 39.7932°E / 37.2302; 39.7932 (Viranşehir (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:00
	This strong tornado collapsed farm structures and enterprise homes. A solar panel park was also badly damaged.
IF0.5	S of Viranşehir	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.0717°N 39.7345°E / 37.0717; 39.7345 (Ayaklı (3 May, IF0.5)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:15
	Minor damage occurred in the town of Ayaklı.
IF2	NE of Viranşehir	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.3982°N 39.9019°E / 37.3982; 39.9019 (Kalmazlar (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:15
	A strong tornado impacted Kalmazlar, completely destroying farmhouses and significantly damaging roofs on other buildings.
IF2	NNE of Viranşehir	Şanlıurfa	Turkey	37.4179°N 39.8625°E / 37.4179; 39.8625 (Kadıköy (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	15:35
	A significant tornado struck the town of Kadıköy. The tornado collapsed transmission towers and destroyed farm buildings. Eight people were injured.
IF2	Subaşı	Mardin	Turkey	37.4317°N 39.952°E / 37.4317; 39.952 (Subaşı (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	16:15
	This tornado struck Subaşı and caused significant damage in the village. A construction container was overturned, injuring four workers. Power poles were also collapsed.
IF2	Gümüştaş to Harabe	Diyarbakır	Turkey	37.5599°N 40.0151°E / 37.5599; 40.0151 (Xerabê / Harabe (3 May, IF2)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	16:50	7 km (4.3 mi)
	A significant tornado snapped wooden utility poles, snapped or uprooted trees, damaged roofs and destroyed solar panels.
IF1	NW of Çınar	Diyarbakır	Turkey	37.7302°N 40.3951°E / 37.7302; 40.3951 (Karacadağ (3 May, IF1)) Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.	17:15
	A tornado damaged roofs and snapped or uprooted trees.

Ajjasza, Syria–Çangallı, Turkey

Ajjasza, Syria–Çangallı, Turkey

Meteorological history
Duration	30 minutes
Formed	May 3, 2026, 3:10 p.m. TRT (UTC+03:00)
Dissipated	May 3, 2026, 3:40 p.m. TRT (UTC+03:00)
IF3 tornado
on the International Fujita scale
Highest winds	290 km/h (180 mph)
Overall effects
Fatalities	0
Injuries	2
IBTrACS

This intense and damaging tornado first touched down at 3:10 p.m. TRT, near the Turkish border just south of Ajjasza, Syria. The tornado was initially weak causing light damage in fields, the tornado then rapidly intensified to IF2 strength when it moved into town causing significant damage to roofs and walls to buildings with power lines and utility poles being significantly bent or collapsed. The tornado then traveled near the town of Silsile, Syria where numerous large trees sustained heavy damage, with many being uprooted, snapped, or debranched. The tornado then impacted the western side of Silsile where there was significant damage done to vegetation and structures, with many structures losing their roofs and walls.

The tornado then crossed the border into Turkey maintaining it's significant IF2 intensity as it impacted the town of Çangallı, Turkey where roofs were heavily damaged, power lines were downed, and a transmission tower collapsed. The tornado then began rapidly shrinking, going from 600 m (660 yd) wide to only 30 m (33 yd) wide. The tornado started turning northwest in an attempt to occlude only to fail doing so resulting in the tornado doing a loop in a field near the village of İnkılap as the tornado continued on it's northeast track. The tornado weakened with a deviant path before restabilizing heading almost due-north, here is when the tornado reached its maximum width of 650 m (710 yd) wide as it passed near the town of Çaybeyi, the tornado intensified to IF2.5 strength here as it significantly damaged utility poles, snapped and debranched trees, and demolished an outbuilding along a road west of the village.

Continuing north, the tornado reached it's peak strength in the village of Akçamezra, in the village, the tornado destroyed roofs, collapsed utility poles, with trailers and a semi-truck being thrown/overturned and more structures sustaining significant damage. In the southeastern side of the village, a solid brick/masonry home with ~30 cm (12 in) thick walls with veneer reinforcement was majorly damaged, it is estimated that >50% of the structures walls were collapsed. A nearby car was also picked up and thrown several meters by the tornado as it maintained IF3 strength the whole time it hit the village. The tornado weakened slightly to IF2.5 strength as the tornado tracked through the eastern part of the village before quickly reintensifying to IF3 strength as it impacted many farmhouses just on the outside of the village. Several farmhouses received major damage with one of them being nearly completely destroyed besides one wall standing, the farmhouse was well constructed with around 30–40 cm (12–16 in) thick walls.

The tornado continued, moving through rural areas mainly causing damage to crops before weakening and moving into the eastern side of Kayacık where it damaged the roofs of farmbuildings and crossing a highway. A van driving on the highway was thrown into a nearby field injuring both occupants, the tornado continued in that field damaging trees and some more farm building roofs south of Karadibek before finally dissipating over some hills near the village.

The tornado reached a peak width of 650 m (710 yd) and traveled 25.9 km (16.1 mi) in 30 minutes. Along its track, it damaged or destroyed numerous buildings injuring 2 people.

References

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