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Significant Tornado Events - Global Edition

UK_EF4

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Hi All. Just made an account so this is the first time posting on here - hope all goes okay
Being from the UK naturally I am drawn to tornadoes/tornadic activity in the UK the most, and while we do seem to get a lot of tornadoes, they are very rarely strong-intense. However we still do get them occasionally, albeit short-tracked, usually small and never photogenic. (Being an island probably doesn't help allow the robust instability necessary for proper big-time supercells, any source region will usually have to travel over some sort of ocean/sea)
These are the 2 strongest tornadoes I would say since 2000:
#2 - London Tornado, 2006 (T5 - EF2)
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Damage mainly roofs and exterior walls. Peak intensity occurred, where the entire roof was ripped and part of the upper floor's walls were damaged. Formed via a mesovortex similar to QLCS tornadoes in the states.
#1 - Birmingham Tornado in July 2005. (T5/T6 - EF3)
The strongest tornado in the UK for 40 years or something like that. Similarly to some discussions regarding the Czech Tornado, most if not all buildings in the UK are made of brick and/or stone, and so damage indicators do differ slightly, especially with higher end damage. Numerous homes and buildings had their entire roofs ripped off. Some houses had most or almost all of the entire upper floor destroyed. Probably some of the most high-end damage caught in modern photos in the UK. Tim Marshall went out to survey this one. Formed from a supercell moving north with a warm front. A couple of other weak tornadoes occurred this day as well.
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MNTornadoGuy

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Hi All. Just made an account so this is the first time posting on here - hope all goes okay
Being from the UK naturally I am drawn to tornadoes/tornadic activity in the UK the most, and while we do seem to get a lot of tornadoes, they are very rarely strong-intense. However we still do get them occasionally, albeit short-tracked, usually small and never photogenic. (Being an island probably doesn't help allow the robust instability necessary for proper big-time supercells, any source region will usually have to travel over some sort of ocean/sea)
These are the 2 strongest tornadoes I would say since 2000:
#2 - London Tornado, 2006 (T5 - EF2)
View attachment 12092View attachment 12093View attachment 12094
Damage mainly roofs and exterior walls. Peak intensity occurred, where the entire roof was ripped and part of the upper floor's walls were damaged. Formed via a mesovortex similar to QLCS tornadoes in the states.
#1 - Birmingham Tornado in July 2005. (T5/T6 - EF3)
The strongest tornado in the UK for 40 years or something like that. Similarly to some discussions regarding the Czech Tornado, most if not all buildings in the UK are made of brick and/or stone, and so damage indicators do differ slightly, especially with higher end damage. Numerous homes and buildings had their entire roofs ripped off. Some houses had most or almost all of the entire upper floor destroyed. Probably some of the most high-end damage caught in modern photos in the UK. Tim Marshall went out to survey this one. Formed from a supercell moving north with a warm front. A couple of other weak tornadoes occurred this day as well.
View attachment 12095View attachment 12096View attachment 12097View attachment 12098View attachment 12099View attachment 12100
Welcome to TalkWeather! Also I’m pretty sure that Tim Marshall gave the 2005 Birmingham tornado an EF2 rating.
 

UK_EF4

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Welcome to TalkWeather! Also I’m pretty sure that Tim Marshall gave the 2005 Birmingham tornado an EF2 rating.
Yes, I think you are right about that one.
TORRO and the Met Office did say that the tornado was generally T4 (EF2) but did have a very brief spell as a T5/6 (HE EF2-EF3) tornado, probably reaching peak intensity as it partially destroyed roof + top floor of a couple of residences
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MNTornadoGuy

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Damage from the 2016 Funing EF4 in Chenliang Town.
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Collapsed water tower in Ceihe Village:
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TH2002

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One of the most unusual and tragic tornadoes in European history occurred on October 6, 1981 in Moerdijk, in the Netherlands.
17 people were killed by this tornado, possibly making it the deadliest tornado in the Netherlands, after NLM CityHopper Flight 431 encountered the tornado shortly after takeoff and crashed, killing everyone aboard.
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The tornado itself, which was either responsible for "minor" or "considerable" damage to structures on the ground, depending on the source. I was unable to locate any photos of damage to buildings from this tornado.

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The actual Fokker F-28 involved in the crash.

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Excavation of the crash site.

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The aircraft's right wing being recovered from the Hollands Diep, which had been ripped from the plane during the tornado.

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Additional wreckage from the plane.
 

MNTornadoGuy

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One of the most interesting European tornadoes in my opinion is the 6/13/1924 Pilisvörösvár Hungary F4. This tornado was unusually long-tracked and large for a European tornado, being 1-2 km wide and having a path length of 65 km. This tornado was also reportedly very violent with the ESWD suspecting it to be an F5. Several villages were "devastated" by this tornado. At the village of Bia, 400 out of 450 homes were supposedly damaged or destroyed. "Beams tower to the sky, piles of bricks and broken pots lie far from the houses in the middle of the road" one newspaper reported. In another village, Páty, the devastation was "beyond imagination" with homes reportedly being "razed to the ground." 4 homes were reportedly leveled in Bia too. At least 6 people were killed by this tornado mostly in Bia.
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buckeye05

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I’ve always heard the 2005 Birmingham, England tornado listed as an F2. But looking at some of those photos, there is substantial exterior wall loss at multiple two-story brick structures, which could technically qualify it as a low-end F3.

Intererestingly enough, another strong tornado hit Birmingham, England in 1931, causing similarly severe damage, one fatality, and multiple injuries in some of the same neighborhoods as the 2005 event, most notably Sparkhill. Here’s some damage video from that one. Not sure if or what it was rated, but appears to be nearly identical in intensity to the 2005 tornado (high-end EF2 to marginal EF3).
 

MNTornadoGuy

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One violent tornado that hasn't been brought up in this thread yet is the 2008 Hautmont France tornado. This F4 (listed as an T9 by some sources which is equivalent to a HE F4) leveled a brick home with some debris being wind-rowed. Large well-built masonry homes suffered severe damage, trees were denuded, metal transmission towers were downed and crop fields were flattened.
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UK_EF4

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Loving looking through this thread and seeing posts about the UK tornado discussions!
The 1913 United Kingdom tornado outbreak likely caused the most intense tornado damage ever photographed in the UK:
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Yeah, this tornado was rated T7 so that would be high-end EF3. I personally think it is one of the only real contenders for a violent tornado in UK. There are a couple of 'violent' tornadoes listed on the database, occurring in 1091 in London, and another in Portsmouth in 1810. Also one in Lincolnshire sometime between 1500-1700 ) can't quite remember. However given the medieval and tudor construction for most of these, and the tendency to exaggerate in old UK tornado accounts, I personally think they were not likely to have reached violent status. This one in 1913 did as seen in those photos cause extensive damage, especially since buildings are made of stone. In Torro's 40 year anniversary book they mentioned somewhere an account of this tornado near totally destroying a home. The more recent date and better construction gives me better confidence. Still, I think its a little way of reaching EF4/T8 status. I don't think any UK tornado has so far, but I would like to be proved wrong.
Another notable UK tornado is the 1954 London tornado was rated as a high-end F3 by the ESWD.

This tornado was the most recent one of such high intensity. Passed right over or within 300m or so of my current location, though I wasn't here back then. I personally can't find any higher end damage on this one, but the main paper on this tornado is locked behind a paywall. The worst damage pics I can find round Gunnersbury area look to be T4 intensity or so 1643822153056.png1643822161384.png
 

buckeye05

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Throughout England's history, there have only been a few violent tornadoes, and most of them occurred a very long time ago. No illustrations or photos of the damage from these events exist, so take the following with a grain of salt.

-London, England, T8 (low-end to mid F4), October 23, 1091
This tornado moved through central London, destroying many homes and churches, and killing at least 2 people. The St. Mary Le Bow church sustained major damage, other churches were destroyed, and 600 homes were destroyed as well, though most were reportedly of wood construction. The basis for the violent rating is tentative and questionable, based on a 7.9 meter long roofing beam from St. Mary Le Bow church that was reportedly driven into the hard packed clay soil with such force, that only 1.2 meters of the beam was left protruding above the surface. I personally am doubtful about this claim, and I do not believe there is enough evidence of a violent tornado associated with this event. Below is an eyewitness illustration of the 1091 London tornado.
1091london.PNG

-Welbourn/Willingore, England, T8-T9 (mid to high-end F4), October 23, 1666
Officially, this is the most violent tornado in the history of England, and strangely, it also occurred on October 23 like the previous one. It struck the small towns of Welbourn, Willingore, Navenby, and Boothby Graffoe, along with a small unnamed village in the Nottingham Forest area, killing at least 3 people. The most intense damage may have occurred in Welbourn, where 44 homes were destroyed. Many of the homes were reportedly "leveled to the ground" and one person was killed. Descriptions of the damage in Willingore seem less intense, though significant damage to homes and two fatalities occurred there. Some additional damage to houses occurred along the outskirts of Navenby before the tornado seemed to intensify again as it hit Boothny Graffoe, where it largely destroyed a stone-construction church, which only had "the body of the steeple" left intact. The tornado may have reached peak intensity again towards the end of the path as it moved through the Nottingham Forest area, were numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, windmills were destroyed, and at a village of 50 homes, only 7 were said to be left standing. The tornado was reportedly narrow and "looked like fire" according to eyewitnesses. It was likely spawned by a very intense and high-topped supercell, as 9-inch (baseball sized) hailstones were reported in the Nottingham Forest area!

-Portsmouth, England, T7-T8 (high-end F3 to low-end F4), December 14, 1810
This brief but destructive tornado was the most recent officially rated violent tornado to occur in England. It destroyed many homes in the Southsea Common area of Portsmouth, four of which were reportedly leveled to the ground. 30 other homes were unroofed, while a government building, a marine barracks, and a hospital were also significantly damaged. A bank building had its lead roof reportedly "rolled up like a piece of canvas." Multiple injuries occurred, but no fatalities were reported. Many sources erroneously list this as England's highest-rated tornado, but the 1666 Welbourn tornado actually holds that distinction. While rated lower than the other two tornadoes, it should be noted that most if not all the houses in the area of Portsmouth where the tornado hit are of sturdy brick construction, potentially making it more impressive than the previous two.
 

MNTornadoGuy

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Throughout England's history, there have only been a few violent tornadoes, and most of them occurred a very long time ago. No illustrations or photos of the damage from these events exist, so take the following with a grain of salt.

-London, England, T8 (low-end to mid F4), October 23, 1091
This tornado moved through central London, destroying many homes and churches, and killing at least 2 people. The St. Mary Le Bow church sustained major damage, other churches were destroyed, and 600 homes were destroyed as well, though most were reportedly of wood construction. The basis for the violent rating is tentative and questionable, based on a 7.9 meter long roofing beam from St. Mary Le Bow church that was reportedly driven into the hard packed clay soil with such force, that only 1.2 meters of the beam was left protruding above the surface. I personally am doubtful about this claim, and I do not believe there is enough evidence of a violent tornado associated with this event. Below is an eyewitness illustration of the 1091 London tornado.
View attachment 12119

-Welbourn/Willingore, England, T8-T9 (mid to high-end F4), October 23, 1666
Officially, this is the most violent tornado in the history of England, and strangely, it also occurred on October 23 like the previous one. It struck the small towns of Welbourn, Willingore, Navenby, and Boothby Graffoe, along with a small unnamed village in the Nottingham Forest area, killing at least 3 people. The most intense damage may have occurred in Welbourn, where 44 homes were destroyed. Many of the homes were reportedly "leveled to the ground" and one person was killed. Descriptions of the damage in Willingore seem less intense, though significant damage to homes and two fatalities occurred there. Some additional damage to houses occurred along the outskirts of Navenby before the tornado seemed to intensify again as it hit Boothny Graffoe, where it largely destroyed a stone-construction church, which only had "the body of the steeple" left intact. The tornado may have reached peak intensity again towards the end of the path as it moved through the Nottingham Forest area, were numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, windmills were destroyed, and at a village of 50 homes, only 7 were said to be left standing. The tornado was reportedly narrow and "looked like fire" according to eyewitnesses. It was likely spawned by a very intense and high-topped supercell, as 9-inch (baseball sized) hailstones were reported in the Nottingham Forest area!

-Portsmouth, England, T7-T8 (high-end F3 to low-end F4), December 14, 1810
This brief but destructive tornado was the most recent officially rated violent tornado to occur in England. It destroyed many homes in the Southsea Common area of Portsmouth, four of which were reportedly leveled to the ground. 30 other homes were unroofed, while a government building, a marine barracks, and a hospital were also significantly damaged. A bank building had its lead roof reportedly "rolled up like a piece of canvas." Multiple injuries occurred, but no fatalities were reported. Many sources erroneously list this as England's highest-rated tornado, but the 1666 Welbourn tornado actually holds that distinction. While rated lower than the other two tornadoes, it should be noted that most if not all the houses in the area of Portsmouth where the tornado hit are of sturdy brick construction, potentially making it more impressive than the previous two.
I find most of the pre-1850 European ratings to be very questionable as they usually rely on one or two sources that are likely ripe with exaggerations or embellishments.
 

UK_EF4

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I find most of the pre-1850 European ratings to be very questionable as they usually rely on one or two sources that are likely ripe with exaggerations or embellishments.
Yes I would definitely agree. The lack of detail regarding building construction, actually what happened to the building, and contextual damage means that nothing really can be decided on intensity without a lot of guesswork. Especially since construction was a lot worse then. I personally am doubtful of all cases of violent tornadoes in the UK, though it is entirely possible they have occurred before. I'm sure we will see one in the future, but I think it will probably be in quite a while.
Edit:
That being said, the description of the Portsmouth tornado does sound a but more convincing. Wasn't aware of the construction quality note.
 
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buckeye05

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Is it possible that the brick homes seen today in that area of Portsmouth are the same type of homes there in 1810, or is that unlikely? There's a frustrating lack of detail with that one, despite it being the most recent, relatively speaking.
 

MNTornadoGuy

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I’m very skeptical of the two official pre-1850 European F5s. The first one is the 1764 Woldegk Germany F5. The F5 rating for this one appears to be based on a report of a “mansion” on a diary farm being “swept clean to the ground floor.” I think the details of this case of damage are too vague and how well constructed farmhouses were in the 1700s has a lot of uncertainty with it. The second one is the 1800 Hainichen tornado. The F5 rating for this one appears to be based on reports of trees being debarked and homes being destroyed. The damage details of this one are even more vague and nothing in the available descriptions suggests any cases of actual F5 damage.
 
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