1913 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
The 1913 United Kingdom tornado outbreak was an outbreak of Tornadoes, particularly over England and Wales, on 27 October 1913. The most notable tornadoes occurred in South Wales, where at least two tornadoes had winds of at least 170 miles per hour (270 km/h). This is equal to an F3 on the Fujita Scale. This day is the only known day in British history to have two tornados exceed F3. [5] One of the tornadoes, at Edwardsville, Merthyr Tydfil, resulted in 6 deaths and hundreds of injuries. This is the deadliest-known tornado to occur in the United Kingdom.[6] Other notable tornadoes struck in Cheshire and Shropshire.
Damage caused by the tornado in Merthyr Tydfil. | |
Type | Tornado outbreak Extratropical cyclone |
---|---|
Formed | 27 October 1913 |
Dissipated | 28 October 1913 |
Lowest pressure | 974 mb (28.76 inHg) |
Tornadoes confirmed | at least 15 |
Damage | £100,000 (1913)[1] £11.6 million (2020) [2] |
Casualties | at least 6 [3] |
Areas affected | North East Scotland, North West England, English Midlands, Eastern England, South Wales, Southern England, Cornwall, Munster [4] |
Meteorological background
A rapidly deepening low-pressure extratropical cyclone tracked quickly south on the afternoon of 27 October. The central pressure of the system was 990 millibars (29 inHg) at midnight on the 27th[7], deepening to 975 millibars (28.8 inHg) by 18:00.[8] The low pressure helped to sustain a stream of strong southerly winds, as in days previous[9], sustaining significantly warmer than average conditions. Temperatures were widely reported over 21 °C (70 °F) in places.[10] Active weather fronts arriving from the Atlantic ocean resulted in the instability needed to cause such tornadoes. The low pressure brought cooler air to the country by the 31st.[11]
Tornadoes
EFU | EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 15 known |
Most intense tornadoes
Most intense tornadoes - Monday 27 October 1913 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | |||||||
EF4 | T6 | Merthyr Tydfil | Glamorgan | Equal strongest of the outbreak. [12] | |||
EF4 | T6 | Abercynon | Glamorgan | Equal strongest of the outbreak. [13] | |||
EF3 | T5 | Taff Valley | Glamorgan | Maximum winds of 160 mph.[14] | |||
England | |||||||
EF4 | T6 | Runcorn | Cheshire | Struck the town around 20:30 to 21:00 before moving off to Lancashire. Caused much damage.[15] | |||
EF3 | T5 | Shrewsbury | Shropshire | Categorised as a T5 on the TORRO scale with winds between 137 and 160 mph. [16] |
Other tornadoes
Other tornadoes were reported in England at Blackpool, Craypole, Peckforton, Oundle, Exeter, Collumpton and Worthing. The final tornado of the outbreak was reported at Witcombe Park, Gloucester at around 17:20 on 28 October. A tornado was reported in Scotland at Crathes and in Ireland at Crosshaven. However, all of these tornadoes were generally weak.[17]
See also
- List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
- 1091 London tornado
- 1761 Great Malvern tornado
- 2005 Birmingham tornado
- 2006 London tornado
References
- "An Extraordinary Tornado". Trove. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "UK Inflation Calculator". in2013dollars.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Storms, floods, tornados, heat waves. So, what's new?". The Times. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Storms, floods, tornados, heat waves. So, what's new?". Phenomena.org. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Monthly Weather Report For The Year 1913". Met Office. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Storms, floods, tornados, heat waves. So, what's new?". The Times. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "500hPa Geopot. Height – Mon 27 Oct 00:00 1913". Wetterzentrale. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "500hPa Geopot. Height – Mon 27 Oct 18:00 1913". Wetterzentrale. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "850hPa Temp – Sat 25 Oct 18:00 1913". Wetterzentrale. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Monthly Weather Report For The Year 1913". Met Office. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "850hPa Temp – Fri 31 Oct 18:00 1913". Wetterzentrale. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Deadly Merthyr Tydfil tornado of 1913 recalled in new heritage project:". Trove. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "The Devastating South Wales Tornadoes of 1913". Geology Wales. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "On this day:". ITV News. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "The Devastating South Wales Tornadoes of 1913". Geology Wales. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Tornadoes in Wales". Phenomena.org. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Tornadoes in Wales". Phenomena.org. Retrieved 5 April 2020.