London Tornado of 2006
Encyclopedia
The London Tornado of 2006 was a significant UK tornado
spawned from a squall line
moving over the city on December 7, 2006 at approximately 11:02 am GMT. Its intensity is estimated to have been T4 on the TORRO scale
, equating to F2 on the Fujita scale
.
s initialised over Cornwall
moving east-northeast across the country. By approximately 10:00 am, the squall line had reached Salisbury
, where a drop in humidity
was recorded, which may have resulted in an increase of atmospheric pressure
behind the squall, causing it to accelerate forward. This increased motion in combination with a change in wind
direction ahead of the storm may have initialised the rotation of the mesocyclone
in one of the now strong storm cells, resulting in the touchdown of the T4
tornado in Kensal Rise, London, at 11 am.
area of North-West London
, sweeping through several streets over the course of under a minute, injuring 6 people, and causing moderate or severe damage to at least 100 properties. Although the main tornado was spotted in Kensal Green, the strong wind
was felt across North London
including St. Augustines CofE High School where part of the roof collapsed and the school had to be closed for nearly a week. It is believed to have been weaker than the Birmingham Tornado
of July 28, 2005. Damages from the tornado were estimated at £10 million ($14 million USD
). One man in his 50s suffered head injuries and 5 people where treated at the scene for shock.
and structural surveyors assessed the damage and structural safety of affected properties. In the meantime, several hundred people were displaced from their homes until they had been declared safe for their occupants to return. Brent Council, speaking to a national newspaper, announced that none of the affected properties are likely to be demolished, though a total of 29 homes have been declared as unfit for habitation due to the damage caused by the tornado. A local MP is attempting to set up a relief fund for residents not covered by insurance, Brent Council rehoused 12 of the people affected.
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
spawned from a squall line
Squall line
A squall line is a line of severe thunderstorms that can form along or ahead of a cold front. In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front. It contains heavy precipitation, hail, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and possibly tornadoes and waterspouts....
moving over the city on December 7, 2006 at approximately 11:02 am GMT. Its intensity is estimated to have been T4 on the TORRO scale
TORRO scale
The TORRO tornado intensity scale is a scale measuring tornado intensity between T0 and T11. It was developed by Terence Meaden of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation , a meteorological organisation in the United Kingdom, as an extension of the Beaufort scale.- History and derivation from...
, equating to F2 on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
.
Meteorological synopsis
On the morning of December 7, the UK was under the influence of a strong Atlantic low pressure system bringing unstable weather conditions to much of the UK, and the south in particular. At approximately 07:30 GMT, a small band of thunderstormThunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s initialised over Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
moving east-northeast across the country. By approximately 10:00 am, the squall line had reached Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, where a drop in humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
was recorded, which may have resulted in an increase of atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
behind the squall, causing it to accelerate forward. This increased motion in combination with a change in wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
direction ahead of the storm may have initialised the rotation of the mesocyclone
Mesocyclone
A mesocyclone is a vortex of air, approximately 2 to 10 miles in diameter , within a convective storm....
in one of the now strong storm cells, resulting in the touchdown of the T4
TORRO scale
The TORRO tornado intensity scale is a scale measuring tornado intensity between T0 and T11. It was developed by Terence Meaden of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation , a meteorological organisation in the United Kingdom, as an extension of the Beaufort scale.- History and derivation from...
tornado in Kensal Rise, London, at 11 am.
Impact
The tornado struck the Kensal GreenKensal Green
Kensal Green, also referred to as Kensal Rise is an area of London, England. It is located on the southern edge of the London Borough of Brent and borders the City of Westminster to the East and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the South....
area of North-West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, sweeping through several streets over the course of under a minute, injuring 6 people, and causing moderate or severe damage to at least 100 properties. Although the main tornado was spotted in Kensal Green, the strong wind
WINDS
WINDS , is a Japanese communication satellite. Launch was originally scheduled for 2007. The launch date was eventually set for 15 February 2008, however a problem detected in a second stage manoeuvring thruster delayed it to 23 February...
was felt across North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
including St. Augustines CofE High School where part of the roof collapsed and the school had to be closed for nearly a week. It is believed to have been weaker than the Birmingham Tornado
Birmingham Tornado (UK)
The Birmingham Tornado was one of the strongest tornadoes recorded in the United Kingdom in nearly 30 years, occurring on 28 July 2005 in the suburbs of Birmingham. It formed on a day when strong tornadoes were expected to develop across the Midlands and eastern England...
of July 28, 2005. Damages from the tornado were estimated at £10 million ($14 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
). One man in his 50s suffered head injuries and 5 people where treated at the scene for shock.
Aftermath
The London Fire BrigadeLondon Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
and structural surveyors assessed the damage and structural safety of affected properties. In the meantime, several hundred people were displaced from their homes until they had been declared safe for their occupants to return. Brent Council, speaking to a national newspaper, announced that none of the affected properties are likely to be demolished, though a total of 29 homes have been declared as unfit for habitation due to the damage caused by the tornado. A local MP is attempting to set up a relief fund for residents not covered by insurance, Brent Council rehoused 12 of the people affected.