Tornadoes in the UK and Ireland

Tornado season is underway in the US, but what about here at home? Do we see similar patterns?

You may not realise it, but the UK and Ireland see an average of 30 tornadoes a year. Most are too weak and short-lived to notice but can cause property damage.

Much like America’s infamous tornado alley, the UK also has an area where their appearance is much more likely. Located between Berkshire and London, the alley sees one tornado every 17 years… not quite the 1,000 each year in the US.

Just last year multiple tornadoes hit eastern England and relative to its landmass the UK sees more tornadoes than any other country in the world behind just the Netherlands.

The outlier in recent years is the 2005 tornado which struck Birmingham causing over £40 million worth of damage with wind speeds peaking at 137mph. This remains the costliest tornado to hit the UK and Ireland although it is not the strongest.

That record goes to an F4 strength tornado which struck Portsmouth in 1810 with wind speeds reaching 240mph.

What are far more common to see are funnel clouds, essentially tornadoes which have not made contact with the ground. These are harmless but do look spectacular in the sky above.

We even have our own tornado season, with the summer and autumn months seeing more frequent twisters than any other time.

Learn more on exactly how tornadoes form with our Weather Explained video: