Subject: What are the Chances of You being hit by a Tornado? From: Alex Kemp Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2015 20:34:59 +0100 To: Oliver Kemp, Micaela Kemp, Liisa Kemp, Davin Kemp
England ... (has) one of the world’s highest rates of tornadoes, relative to its size.
That seems a silly statement unless you live in Birmingham. This was some of the aftermath of a F2 tornado in 2005:
2:30 BST 28 July 2005: a F2 Tornado hit Sparkbrook, Birmingham & 1km of the city
95% of the UK tornadoes are at the bottom of the scale (F0/F1).
(Fujita scale; Developed in 1971 by T. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago):
F0: Winds < 73 mph (< 117 kph) Light damage
Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.
F1: Winds 73-112 mph (118-180 kph) Moderate damage
Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving cars blown off roads.
F2: Winds 113-157 mph (181-253 kph) Considerable damage
Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; railway boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.
F3: Winds 158-206 mph (254-332 kph) Severe damage
Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.
F4: Winds 207-260 mph (333-418 kph) Devastating damage
Well-constructed houses levelled; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5: Winds 261-318 mph (419-512 kph) Incredible damage
Strong frame houses levelled off foundations and swept away; car-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.
The University of Manchester has taken all reports of UK tornadoes between 1980 and 2012, and has mapped the results:-
Map showing incidence of tornadoes from 1980 to 2012. (White areas no tornadoes, bright green low frequency, pink and grey highest frequency) Source: University of Manchester
Quick stats:
an average of 34 tornadoes in the UK each year
most tornadoes are in the South of England
Berkshire is the place most likely to see a tornado
‘6%’ means “a tornado is likely once every 17 years”
