Tornadoes, What Are They, Our Insightful And Expert Guide To UK Tornado’s.

When we hear the word Tornado, we automatically think of disaster movies, yet most are minuscule by comparison

Tornado Formation 101: The Meteorological Ballet

1. Ingredients for a Twirl:
   • Picture a thunderstorm—the kind with an anvil-shaped cumulonimbus cloud. These are the rock stars of the storm world.
   • Inside this thunderstorm, warm, humid air rises while cooler air descends. Rain or hail tags along for the ride.
   • Now, if winds vary sharply in speed or direction, something magical happens: spinning air currents start to waltz within the cloud.
2. The Updraft Tango:
   • Imagine warm air doing the cha-cha with cold air. They collide, and the warm air rises through the cooler layers.
   • This rising motion creates an updraft. Think of it as the thunderstorm’s elegant lift-off move.
3. The Spin Cycle:
   • Those horizontal spinning currents inside the cloud? They’re like cosmic pirouettes.
   • But wait! The updraft tilts this rolling motion into the vertical. Suddenly, we have a tornado twirl!
   • If this violently rotating column of air reaches the ground, voilà! A tornado is born.
4. The Tornado Waltz:
   • Look closely during a tornado: You’ll see a condensation funnel—a funnel-shaped cloud. It forms due to the much-reduced pressure within the tornado vortex.
   • Dust and debris caught in the intense winds also help make the tornado visible. It’s like Mother Nature’s smoke machine.
5. The Grand Finale:
   • Eventually, cold downdrafts wrap around the tornado, cutting off the supply of warm air.
   • The tornado narrows, its vortex dissipates, and the dance fades away.

Remember, tornadoes are like celestial ballets—sometimes graceful, sometimes fierce. So next time you see a windsock doing a little spin, give it a nod—it might be practicing for its tornado debut! 🌪️🎩

Learn more at the TORRO Network

Tornado Scale:

Scale	Wind Speed (mph)	Wind Speed (km/h)	Damage Description
F-Scale
F0	40–72	64–116	Light damage: Branches broken off trees, shallow-rooted trees toppled, signboards damaged.
F1	73–112	117–180	Moderate damage: Roof surfaces peeled off, mobile homes pushed off foundations, moving cars pushed off roads.
F2	113–157	181–253	Considerable damage: Roofs torn off frame houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted.
F3	158–206	254–332	Severe damage: Roofs and walls torn off well-constructed homes, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted off the ground.
F4	207–260	333–418	Devastating damage: Well-constructed houses leveled, cars thrown significant distances, large debris become airborne missiles.
F5	261–318	419–512	Incredible damage: Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances, large objects (e.g., cars) become airborne missiles, complete devastation.
EF-Scale
EF0	65–85	105–137	Minor damage: Shingles blown off, branches broken off, shallow-rooted trees toppled.
EF1	86–110	138–177	Moderate damage: Roofs stripped, mobile homes badly damaged, windows broken, trees snapped or uprooted.
EF2	111–135	178–217	Considerable damage: Roofs torn off houses, large trees uprooted, mobile homes destroyed, debris as airborne projectiles.
EF3	136–165	218–266	Severe damage: Entire stories of homes destroyed, trains overturned, heavy cars thrown.
EF4	166–200	267–322	Devastating damage: Well-constructed homes leveled, cars thrown significant distances, large airborne debris, complete destruction of buildings.
EF5	>200	>322	Incredible damage: Homes swept away, steel-reinforced concrete structures damaged, cars carried long distances, catastrophic destruction.

Description

• Fujita Scale (F-Scale): Developed by Dr. Tetsuya Fujita in 1971, this scale classifies tornadoes based on damage caused, with wind speeds estimated based on the level of destruction.
• Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale): Introduced in 2007 to replace the F-Scale, the EF-Scale uses more refined damage indicators to estimate wind speeds, making it more accurate. The wind speed ranges were adjusted for better correlation with actual observed damage.

The UK and Tornadoes 🌪

Did you know The UK has more Tornadoes per Square Mile than anywhere else on Earth‽

Well funnily enough that is true, closely followed by the Netherlands!

1. UK Tornado Density:
   • You’d think tornadoes prefer the wide-open plains of the central US, but nope! The UK secretly hosts its own tornado parties.
   • On average, the UK experiences around 35 tornadoes per year. That’s more than you’d expect from this little island.
2. Size Matters:
   • UK tornadoes are like the polite cousins of American twisters. They’re smaller and weaker.
   • About 95% of British tornadoes fall into the F0 to F1 category. Translation: Their winds rarely exceed 112 mph, and they cause only “moderate” damage. Think overturned garden furniture, not flying cows.
3. Tornado Alley, UK Edition:
   • The UK’s tornado alley isn’t a single straight road—it’s more like a cosmic dance floor.
   • There are three main regions where tornadoes like to boogie:
     • Southern England: An area south of a line between Reading and London, with a tornado hotspot near Guildford.
     • Southwest of Ipswich: Because even Suffolk deserves a twirl.
     • West and south of Birmingham: The Midlands join the tornado jive.
   • These regions have a 3% to 6% annual probability of experiencing a tornado within a 100 square km area. That means they could see one every 15 to 30 years.
4. Notable UK Tornadoes:
   • In July 2005, a tornado in Birmingham caused £40 million in damages and injured 39 people. Fortunately, no one was killed.
   • But rewind to 1913: A strong tornado in South Wales claimed three lives. Even our polite tornadoes can pack a punch.
5. Tornado Outbreaks:
   • Around 70% of UK tornado days have at least two reports. Some days go all out and produce three or more tornadoes.
   • The granddaddy of UK tornado outbreaks happened on 23 November 1981, with 104 tornado reports from Anglesey to Norwich. It was like a tornado festival!

So there you have it—our UK tornadoes might not star in Hollywood blockbusters, but they’re still part of our quirky weather family. Next time you see a windsock doing the twist, give it a nod—it might be practicing for its tornado debut! 🌪️🎩