Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Flipside on December 07, 2006, 01:39:32 pm

Title: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: Flipside on December 07, 2006, 01:39:32 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6217514.stm

'Up to 150 houses and many cars were damaged when the freak weather hit the Kensal Rise area.'

Fortunately this is South of me, but spooky nonetheless.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: karajorma on December 07, 2006, 01:42:36 pm
Well they do occur in London on rare occasions. Not exactly the kind of weather you'd expect in the UK admittedly though.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: NGTM-1R on December 07, 2006, 03:08:40 pm
I remember they used to think that you couldn't have a tornado in an urban area, because urban areas are effective heat sinks...

...then Denver got hit downtown. Whoops.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: aldo_14 on December 07, 2006, 03:20:39 pm
Well they do occur in London on rare occasions. Not exactly the kind of weather you'd expect in the UK admittedly though.

Even though we apparently have the highest rate of them :)
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: wtf_cl0vvn on December 07, 2006, 03:44:23 pm
i live in texas...we get 'em all the time in these here parts  :D


didnt expect for a tornado to hit in london, of all places...
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: perihelion on December 07, 2006, 03:52:08 pm
Even though we apparently have the highest rate of them :)

[Quirks eyebrow.]  Um.  Have you not heard of "Tornado Alley?"
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: an0n on December 07, 2006, 03:55:23 pm
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If global warming means hotter summers and everyone south of Leeds ending up drowning, dehydrated or dead - fire me up a coal power station...
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: karajorma on December 07, 2006, 04:04:46 pm
It means ****ing cold winters too though.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: an0n on December 07, 2006, 04:13:25 pm
Yeah, but it also means the cold is interspersed with unseasonable warmth - so it balances out.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: aldo_14 on December 07, 2006, 04:18:10 pm
Even though we apparently have the highest rate of them :)

[Quirks eyebrow.]  Um.  Have you not heard of "Tornado Alley?"

Doesn't matter.  Per unit area, as measured by (a) Dr. Fujita in 1973, the UK has the highest number of tornados in the world.  Even though you may have localized areas of high frequency in the US, divvy is up as an average and it's apparently not as high.

EDIT; highest frequency of reported tornados, at least.  Although apparently there's a suggestion Holland could now be higher.  Plus, the strength is lower (in the UK) and you wouldn't see the monster F4s and F5 in the US.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: Flipside on December 07, 2006, 06:02:00 pm
Aldo is correct, the UK has the highest number of whirlwinds and tornados on the planet, it's just that most of them are pretty localised...

http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/php/gallery.php?category_path=tornados&start=0

It's just surprising to see one of such strength.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: WeatherOp on December 07, 2006, 07:17:34 pm
Aldo is correct, the UK has the highest number of whirlwinds and tornados on the planet, it's just that most of them are pretty localised...

http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/php/gallery.php?category_path=tornados&start=0

It's just surprising to see one of such strength.

I don't know, I really don't see any damage greater than a strong F0, allthough the possibility is there of it being a very weak F1 when it pulled the roof off that house. IMO, the tornado that hit the UK last year was much more impressive, I think it was a strong F1, and had one of comparable strength hit this area, we would be looking at a much more grim aftermath.

Quote
EDIT; highest frequency of reported tornados, at least.  Although apparently there's a suggestion Holland could now be higher.  Plus, the strength is lower (in the UK) and you wouldn't see the monster F4s and F5 in the US.

Quite true, the reason is that the UK does not see as many "supercell" type storms, most of the UK tornadoes are ether cold core, or waterspouts that have moved inland, allthough every now and then you will get a mesocyclonic storm like that second and third pics of the link Flip posted.
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: Flipside on December 08, 2006, 12:44:20 pm
I hate it when WeatherOp posts in a weather thread, cos there's no arguing with him :p
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: Fragrag on December 08, 2006, 12:54:50 pm
I hate it when WeatherOp posts in a weather thread, cos there's no arguing with him :p

I hate it because I don't understand half the words he's saying
Title: Re: Tornado in Northwest London
Post by: WeatherOp on December 08, 2006, 06:13:49 pm
I hate it when WeatherOp posts in a weather thread, cos there's no arguing with him :p

Nonsense, I just use Fragrag's point to my advantage. :p