Severe weather hits London and thisislocallondon provides news with comments
A FREAK tornado ripped through a residential area of the capital today, tearing apart buildings and injuring six people.
The fleeting storm ripped tiles off roofs, pulled down fences and shattered windows
I didn’t see the black cloud from where I was in South London but did witness sudden gusts of high wind accompanied by hailstones which temporarily formed into mini blizzards on the roof tiles.
Andy Roberts is a writer who initiated DARnet. Contact me on aroberts@gmail.com or @aroberts on twitter
all the articles i am reading say this is not ‘unusual’ … well … to me this sounds weird as it happened in the MIDDLE OF FRIGGIN WINTER…
i am not an alarmist, but something just ain’t right with this report.
Houston,
I’m not sure if tornados in the UK are associated with any particular month or season. It doesn’t say so at TORRO so I’ve sent an enquiry.
Dear Andy,
Many of our severe weather outbreaks occur in winter when we get violent
cold fronts crossing the country. Not only this but a certain meteorological
phenomenon which happens in the autumn to winter months creates havoc with
our own climate causing some of the most violent weather we see – I forget
what this phenomenon is called now – I shall find out for you. But, for
instance, just in November 1981 on the 21st (I think, off the top of my head
on that day) there were 105 tornadoes in one day. Miraculously noone was
injured.
Just because tornadoes have been associated with spring and summer,
especially in the USA, does not mean that this is the case elsewhere in the
world. The Earth’s climate is vast and is made up of several parameters and
every single country has its own climate to contend with. The UK is
surrounded by water, is a very small island and has weather systems to cope
with from the atlantic, north Europe, and Spain and Africa. The systems as
they cross water can often cause a phenomenon called sea breeze which
creates convergence lines causing enhanced activity. These are just a few
examples which can help cause severe weather in the UK and, sometimes in the
autumn and winter months especially, can be particularly strong.
In 2005 on New Years Day there was a T4 tornado in my home town causing a
tree to be uprooted and unfortunately, the tree killed a young boy. TORRO
have been researching tornadoes and severe weather for over 30 years and
have looked back further than this also. We have an extensive database, and
although some violent weather can most certainly occur in the spring and
summer months, with the more ‘conventional’ thundery weather occurring, for
the UK at least, it is most certainly not unusual for us to suffer
tremendous violent activity in autumn and winter.
In the USA, tornadoes can occur at any time of year as they can in the UK,
they are not only spring and summer activities – but certainly in America’s
Midwest, the meteorological systems which are created in these months
certainly enhance activity.
I do hope this answers your query, if you would like any more information
please do not hesitate to contact me further.
Best wishes,
Sam
–
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