1913 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak in the United Kingdom
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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 160 miles per hour (260 km/h). This is equal to an F3 on the Fujita scale. 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.[5] Other notable tornadoes struck in Cheshire and Shropshire.
Damage caused by the tornado in Abercynon | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | 27 October 1913 |
| Dissipated | 28 October 1913 |
| Lowest pressure | 974 mb (28.76 inHg) |
| Fatalities | at least 6 fatalities, 150 injured [1] |
| Damage | £100,000 (1913)[2] £11.6 million (2020) [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,[6] deepening to 975 millibars (28.8 inHg) by 18:00.[7] The low pressure helped to sustain a stream of strong southerly winds, as in days previous,[8] sustaining significantly warmer than average conditions. Temperatures were widely reported over 21 °C (70 °F) in some places.[9] 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.[10]
Tornadoes
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 known |
Most intense tornadoes
| Most intense tornadoes - Monday 27 October 1913 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | T# | Location | County | Comments/Damage | |||
| Wales | |||||||
| F3 | T7 | Llantwit Fardre to Bedlinog | Glamorgan | 5+ Deaths - A T7 rated tornado tracked up the Taff Valley impacting the communities of Llantwit Fadre, Treforest, Cilfynydd, Abercynon, Edwardsville and Bedlinog. The worst damage occurred in Abercynon and Edwardsville, where at least 5 people died. Over 100 people were injured.[11] | |||
| England | |||||||
| F3 | T6 | Runcorn | Cheshire | Struck the town around 20:30 to 21:00 before moving off to Lancashire. Caused much damage.[12] | |||
| F2 | T5 | Shrewsbury | Shropshire | Categorised as a T5 on the TORRO scale with winds between 137 and 160 mph.[13] | |||
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.[14]