Tornado Terror Hits UK: 10-Hour Warning Issued As Brits Brace For 50mph Winds & Severe Lightning

The UK finds itself in the firing line of tornadoes as Brits are warned to prepare for 50mph winds and severe lightning in the coming hours. The extreme and potentially dangerous weather comes amid amber warnings for rain storms that will see 16 different areas of the country pummelled with a heavy downpour.

Tornado Threat Looms

A large part of southeast England and East Anglia is covered by the 10-hour severe weather warning issued by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro). They warned of the risk of "brief" tornado storms developing, and said: "Showers and isolated thunderstorms are already present around parts of SW and S England, and these will tend to move NE through this morning, with other showers and a few thunderstorms developing inland via diurnal heating.

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"Deep layer shear is favourable for small clusters or lines of storms to form, and whilst low-level shear is reasonably modest, some backing of the flow ahead of the trough could assist in the development of low-level rotation, and perhaps a brief tornado or two. The most likely area of this to occur is across southern counties in the depicted area, but as models are keen to develop rather widespread showers through the day, the risk is drawn in a broader sense. Gusty winds and lightning will affect some places, along with hail."

Recent Tornado Activity

The new warning comes after a tornado struck a sleepy town in the British countryside earlier this week. Tewkesbury's tornado hit at around 4.24pm on Saturday, around four hours after the town of Aldershot, Hampshire, faced a similar tornado which damaged homes and uprooted trees. Rich, 38, a builder and dad to six-year-old Grace, said his daughter was "flabbergasted" by the freak weather event. He said: "It was a spectacle in real time. It lasted around 20 seconds. The winds got up very dramatically, felt like a scene from twister. Right place, Right time!"

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation confirmed a tornado in Aldershot at around 12.25pm on Friday, which was tracekd moving 1.2miles through the town. Nobody was hurt in the storm, although one resident's chimney was damaged, and a tree was ripped out of a neighbour's garden. A passenger also recently captured footage a tornado on a motorway near Luton, as a viral clip showed drivers battling hazardous conditions with the twister visible behind them.

Met Office Warns of Heavy Rain and Flooding

Official weather warnings from the Met Office are also in force today. Slow moving showers and thunderstorms are intensify through Thursday afternoon into the late evening, merging into "a large band of heavy rain" - with central and eastern parts of the warning area bearing the brunt of the storm. A number of areas could be at increased risk of flooding during the downpours due to already saturated ground from rainfall earlier this week, the forecaster said. The warning added: "Some places, especially across central and eastern parts of the warning area, are likely to receive 30-40mm in three hours or less, and perhaps 50-60mm or more in around six hours. This rain will fall onto already saturated ground and affect communities recovering from recent flooding. Travel disruption and further flooding is likely, with rivers continuing to rise after the rain clears."

London Could Be Hit By Tornado

London could be in for a possible tornado as the Tornado & Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) has issued a warning for much of the area. TORRO has shared that wind gusts of 50mph could be possible, alongside isolated tornadoes. Additionally, people could have to contend with occasional thunderstorms. The affected areas include the central area of England, South East Midlands, East Anglia and much of the South East of England.

Tornado Warning From TORRO

Discussing the potential tornado TORRO shared: "A shortwave trough will move NE through today.

TORRO Convective Discussion 2024/008 issued valid until 1000 BST Thursday 26th September 2024 https://t.co/tt2BEX87CM pic.twitter.com/p1N60TjOKi

"Showers and isolated thunderstorms are already present around parts of SW and S England, and these will tend to move NE through this morning, with other showers and a few thunderstorms developing inland via diurnal heating."

They added: "Deep layer shear is favourable for small clusters or lines of storms to form, and whilst low-level shear is reasonably modest, some backing of the flow ahead of the trough could assist in the development of low-level rotation, and perhaps a brief tornado or two.

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"The most likely area of this to occur is across southern counties in the depicted area, but as models are keen to develop rather widespread showers through the day, the risk is drawn in a broader sense."

Met Office Forecast for London

While TORRO has issued a tornado warning, the Met Office forecasted strong winds with highs of 31mph and lows of 26mph. The Met Office added: "Heavy, potentially thundery showers will initially be mostly confined to southern coastlines but will soon develop across the region from late morning. Breezy across the south of the area, with strong winds toward the coast. Maximum temperature 19 °C."

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