UK Tornado (F3) today

[sallycinnamon78]

Whoa! This is nuts! We had a tornado today in Birmingham. 120 miles an hour, ish.

I know folks in the States get a hell of a lot worse (I lived in 'Tornado Alley' for a few years before coming back to the UK). It's freaky though - the BBC says that there are more tornadoes per square mile each year in Britain than the USA. Here in England, we get tons of regular mini-tornados, but they're so tiny that nobody realises, notices, or cares. So this is really unusual for us, to say the least!

From the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4725279.stm

Last Updated: Thursday, 28 July 2005, 17:52 GMT 18:52 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Tornado injures 19 in Birmingham
Amateur footage of the Birmingham tornado
The tornado lasted only for a few minutes
Nineteen people have been injured - three seriously - as a tornado ripped through the streets of Birmingham.

The sudden storm damaged buildings, uprooted trees and trapped people in their homes. The Met Office estimates the wind speed may have reached 130mph.

One sq km of damage was caused in Kings Heath, with "hundreds" of properties affected, council officials said.

Emergency services are using dogs and specialist equipment to see if anyone has been trapped in damaged buildings.

West Midlands Fire Service said the areas affected included Kings Heath, Moseley, Quinton, Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook.

The Met Office explained tornadoes were especially rare in built-up areas and that this was the worst seen for years.


It looks like something from a film set
Julia Banner
Eyewitness
Caroline Ward, from the Jon Carrie Nursery in Moseley, said the tornado ripped out fences and toys were whipped into the air.

"Luckily we got the children all inside but they were very frightened," she told BBC News.

Julia Banner, who works in a care home in Moseley, said: "All of a sudden it got dark, the front door blew open and all the notices blew off the notice board.

"The kitchen window was open and all the crockery smashed to the floor.

Car damaged by tornado
The storm hit with very little warning
"It all happened in just a couple of minutes. There is a tree through a car and trees on houses - it looks like something from a film set."

A Met Office spokesperson said: "From the reports we have heard we would estimate that this is a tornado with a rating of T3-T4, that would mean it had wind speeds of between 93-114 mph for T3 and 114-130 for T4.

"A typical description would be that motorcars were lifted and destroyed, roofs removed from buildings and weak buildings destroyed.

"We have an average of 33 reports of tornadoes in the UK each year but these are especially rare in built-up areas and there has not been one of this strength in many years.

"City centres are not the natural habitat of a tornado; the tall buildings would normally stop their formation."

You can send any footage or pictures you may have to 07921 648 159 or to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

Prediction for today was:

Latest UK Weather and Flood Warnings http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweather/todays_forecasters.shtml

Thursday 28 July WEATHER WARNING Torrential thunderstorms moving north from the Midlands into Northern England including Lincolnshire could pose a danger to life. The very heavy rain is accompanied by extremely gusty winds which have already caused structural damage in The Midlands. Valid until 2100.

Thursday 28 July WEATHER WARNING Heavy downpours will affect northern and eastern England, including the north Midlands, Southern Scotland and north Wales into this evening. The torrential rain together with hail and gusty winds will make driving conditions dangerous and carriageways will flood. Valid until 2100.

Thursday 28 July FLOOD WARNING There is one flood warning in force in the Midlands. Further updates will appear here.

We had a silly little one on June 24th, too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/4619225.stm

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

...wow. That's scary!

People injured...hope they heal up soon . At least there was no fatalities, so that's good.

And yes, the weather can definitely get wild here in the U.S. regarding that sort of thing, too. Where in Tornado Alley did you live?

Angela

 

[sallycinnamon78]

I lived in OK for a while. It was only for a couple of months though, just before we went off to NJ.

In IL and WI we got warnings all the time, but as far as I recall there was only one occasion when a tornado hit within a few miles of us - it was Kenosha, I think. It wasn't a major one but it gave us a shock, having been used to England!

When we were in Chicago, I used to enjoy watching the waterspouts heading towards us across Michigan and then vying before they got too mnear.

 

[verte76]

I live in Tornado Alley, in Birmingham, Alabama. We had a pretty ferocious storm just yesterday, but it was just rain and high wind, no tornados. That must be really scary, to not be used to this kind of thing and then you really get a nasty one. Stay safe!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I lived in OK for a while. It was only for a couple of months though, just before we went off to NJ.

Ah. Yeah, Oklahoma's certainly had its share of tornadoes over the years, that's for sure-and some really, really bad ones at that.

Originally posted by sallycinnamon78
In IL and WI we got warnings all the time, but as far as I recall there was only one occasion when a tornado hit within a few miles of us - it was Kenosha, I think. It wasn't a major one but it gave us a shock, having been used to England!

Oh, really? Freaky.

Yeah, the middle of the country in general is just...not a fun place in the spring and summer (and for places like Oklahoma and Texas, they can get this stuff even through November, December. God, that'd suck...).

Originally posted by sallycinnamon78
When we were in Chicago, I used to enjoy watching the waterspouts heading towards us across Michigan and then vying before they got too mnear.

LOL, really ?

We never had waterspouts where I lived. And even if we had, I probably wouldn't go and look at them-anytime we got a warning, down into a good, sturdy shelter I went .

Angela

 

[nbcrusader]

At least there are no earthquakes.....

Glad you are safe.

 

[U2DMfan]

I missed that May 3rd, 1999 tornado that ripped thru Oklahoma City by about a mile and a half. It was on the ground for at least 8 hours, had winds measured at one point over 300 mph (fastest ever recorded) and was almost classified a F6, which doesnt even exist.

Needless to say, it was a SCARY day.

I have lived here my whole life, we get tornado warnings, watches and touch downs all the time. If that particular tornado had been in the middle of the New Mexico desert it would have been a huge story becuase it was so big and strong, but it ripped thru a city of 1 million people staying on the ground for a long long damn time. It missed the most densely poulated areas, but did a number on the suburbs and went SW-NE right up thru the city and kept going into the countryside. Amazing.

It's pretty funny how people around here deal with it. My friends dad sat out on a porch and watched the thing go by with a beer in his hand from about a mile away. If you watch TLC and the Weather channel and all those tornado specials they always talk about that big bad bastard. Did a number on my old high school too.

 

[U2democrat]

lucky


(FYI-for the longest time i wanted to be a storm chaser)

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I missed that May 3rd, 1999 tornado that ripped thru Oklahoma City by about a mile and a half. It was on the ground for at least 8 hours, had winds measured at one point over 300 mph (fastest ever recorded) and was almost classified a F6, which doesnt even exist.

Needless to say, it was a SCARY day.

I can imagine so. It doesn't matter how many times I see that footage of that thing, it still amazes me. It sure looked scary on TV-s to those who actually went through it.

Originally posted by U2DMfan
I have lived here my whole life, we get tornado warnings, watches and touch downs all the time. If that particular tornado had been in the middle of the New Mexico desert it would have been a huge story becuase it was so big and strong, but it ripped thru a city of 1 million people staying on the ground for a long long damn time. It missed the most densely poulated areas, but did a number on the suburbs and went SW-NE right up thru the city and kept going into the countryside. Amazing.

*Shakes head* Geez...

Originally posted by U2DMfan
It's pretty funny how people around here deal with it. My friends dad sat out on a porch and watched the thing go by with a beer in his hand from about a mile away.

Why do people do that? Geez, if I'd been there and I'd seen that thing coming at me, I would've ran to a shelter and just prayed to God that it wouldn't hit me (also probably would've been crying, I'll admit). I love watching shows on tornadoes and stuff like that, because they are fascinating to learn about, but I've never quite understood wanting to watch those things actually come through my town, especially one that big. But meh, whatever interests other people .

Originally posted by U2DMfan
If you watch TLC and the Weather channel and all those tornado specials they always talk about that big bad bastard.

Mmhm. I mentioned this in another thread, but I still remember watching the whole thing unfold on TV. I was living in Iowa in May of 1999, and our area was forecast to see nasty storms that day, too. So I came home from school and had the Weather Channel on to see what was going on with our area (and thankfully, we missed out on the nasty weather that day-can't remember if we did get any storms or not, but it never got as bad as they thought it would), and then not long after, all of a sudden, the channel just totally started focusing in on this tornado that was hitting Oklahoma City. Dropped all regular programming and everything, and simply focused on that the rest of the evening. I was just sitting there watching the whole thing like this: ... I felt so bad for those people .

Originally posted by U2DMfan
Did a number on my old high school too.

. Sorry to hear that.

Also, U2democrat, my sister as of late has been wanting to be a storm chaser . I think it'd be interesting to study the things, but I'd prefer to do it in a nice, safe building (well, about as safe as you can get, that is) .

Angela

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

At least there are no earthquakes.....

Glad you are safe.

No, we get those too. Just as with the tornadoes they tend to be too small to cause any damage.

No volcanoes though, so we've something to be thankful for.

 

[VertigoGal]

I missed that May 3rd, 1999 tornado that ripped thru Oklahoma City by about a mile and a half. It was on the ground for at least 8 hours, had winds measured at one point over 300 mph (fastest ever recorded) and was almost classified a F6, which doesnt even exist.

Needless to say, it was a SCARY day.

I have lived here my whole life, we get tornado warnings, watches and touch downs all the time. If that particular tornado had been in the middle of the New Mexico desert it would have been a huge story becuase it was so big and strong, but it ripped thru a city of 1 million people staying on the ground for a long long damn time. It missed the most densely poulated areas, but did a number on the suburbs and went SW-NE right up thru the city and kept going into the countryside. Amazing.

It's pretty funny how people around here deal with it. My friends dad sat out on a porch and watched the thing go by with a beer in his hand from about a mile away. If you watch TLC and the Weather channel and all those tornado specials they always talk about that big bad bastard. Did a number on my old high school too.

scary.

my cousins' elementary school got flattened by a twister last year.

 

[U2democrat]

Also, U2democrat, my sister as of late has been wanting to be a storm chaser . I think it'd be interesting to study the things, but I'd prefer to do it in a nice, safe building (well, about as safe as you can get, that is) .

Angela

yeah well, i realized how much math and science was involved so i moved on to politics

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

my cousins' elementary school got flattened by a twister last year.

There was a town in Nebraska last year, Hallam, that got pretty much wiped off the map by a tornado. And Norris High School, just a short drive from Lincoln, got messed up pretty good, too. That was a particularly freaky one because my sister's class had gone to see some show at that high school just a week or so before the tornado.

And then my dad was telling me, as we were coming back through South Dakota last week, that the town of Spencer also got wiped off the map-it was a rather small town, and the tornado that hit it was a half a mile wider than the entire town.

Anyone else depressed yet? LOL.

Angela

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

yeah well, i realized how much math and science was involved so i moved on to politics

LOL, ah, I see.

I hear ya .

Angela

 

[sue4u2]

I used to have nighmares about that tornado, U2DMfan. and I don't live anywhere near OKC. It was and is some truly terrifying footage.

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Thanks to all for the kind words.

Re: the waterspouts: they were only little ones, obviously, but i'd never seen anything like that before so I was fascinated.

I missed that May 3rd, 1999 tornado that ripped thru Oklahoma City by about a mile and a half. It was on the ground for at least 8 hours, had winds measured at one point over 300 mph (fastest ever recorded) and was almost classified a F6, which doesnt even exist.

Needless to say, it was a SCARY day.

I'll bet it was! I've seen tons of programmes on that one, it was a big fat bastard of a funnel.

I remember seeing 'Tornado Watch/Warning' appearing at the bottom of the screen, in Wisconsin of all places. When it hit Kenosha I was terrified! I was only about 13 or so. I'd seen a coupple of hurricanes and some hideous storms but never a tornado, so I was sure we were going to end up like Dorthy and Toto. Luckily for us it died. I remember, later on, being amused that even a tornado didn't dare venture into Milwaukee!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

(FYI-for the longest time i wanted to be a storm chaser)

My fiance did, too.

He works in a bank now.

No, we get those too. Just as with the tornadoes they tend to be too small to cause any damage.

No volcanoes though, so we've something to be thankful for.

True... although don't forget Dudley. I could see it's point though; Dudley's an awful place.

That was bad taste on my part - we should be being nice to the Midlands at the moment!

You're right though - our earthquakes are usually rubbish. Fortunately for us! It's not quite San Franscisco, really, is it?!

From our friends at the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2328911.stm

UK earthquakes (Richter scale)
6.1, 120km off Great Yarmouth, 1931
5.4 Lleyn, north Wales, 1984
5.1 Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, 1990
4.2, Warwick, 2000
4.1, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, 2001

Last month's Dudley earthquake was more powerful than at first thought, according to geologists.

The quake, which hit on 23 September, was first registered at 4.8 on the Richter scale but has since been upgraded to 5.0 by the British Geological Survey.

The exact centre of the most powerful earthquake to hit Britain for a decade was thought to be Brick Kiln Lane in Dudley.

But the survey revealed the epicentre was actually a few miles down the road at the junction of High Arcal Road and Himley Road, near Himley Hall.

UK earthquakes (Richter scale)
6.1, 120km off Great Yarmouth, 1931
5.4 Lleyn, north Wales, 1984
5.1 Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, 1990
4.2, Warwick, 2000
4.1, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, 2001

The earthquake - which started at 0054 BST and lasted about 20 seconds - has also been given a revised intensity rating of six compared with the four it was first given.

It caused minor damage and was felt across the West Midlands, Wales, North Yorkshire, London, and Wiltshire.

The new findings come after the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh studied data received from monitoring points around the country.

Thousands of people have relived their experiences of the earthquake for the survey which asked people to fill in a questionnaire online.

Many reported animals and birds acting strangely before and after the tremor.


Click here to go to BBC Birmingham Online
See also:

24 Sep 02 | England
Demolition blast linked to quake
23 Sep 02 | UK
Earthquake hits UK
23 Sep 02 | England
Dudley epicentre left unshaken
Internet links:

BBCi Science
British Geological Survey

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

I remember in 2000 when a large tornado ripped through downtown Fort Worth-nothing is weirder than seeing a 40 story glass skyscraper get mauled by a tornado. For a couple of years nobody was sure what was to be done with it so it was covered in plywood from top to bottom

 

[shari schultz]

Thanks to all for the kind words.

Re: the waterspouts: they were only little ones, obviously, but i'd never seen anything like that before so I was fascinated.



I'll bet it was! I've seen tons of programmes on that one, it was a big fat bastard of a funnel.

I remember seeing 'Tornado Watch/Warning' appearing at the bottom of the screen, in Wisconsin of all places. When it hit Kenosha I was terrified! I was only about 13 or so. I'd seen a coupple of hurricanes and some hideous storms but never a tornado, so I was sure we were going to end up like Dorthy and Toto. Luckily for us it died. I remember, later on, being amused that even a tornado didn't dare venture into Milwaukee!

Tornado sirens went off in Kenosha last Saturday while I was in Bristol at the Renaissance Fair. Nothing like being in a open area with no place to go if one hits. Nothing touched down. Only funnels and rotation aloft.

 

[U2DMfan]

Why do people do that? Geez, if I'd been there and I'd seen that thing coming at me, I would've ran to a shelter and just prayed to God that it wouldn't hit me (also probably would've been crying, I'll admit). I love watching shows on tornadoes and stuff like that, because they are fascinating to learn about, but I've never quite understood wanting to watch those things actually come through my town, especially one that big. But meh, whatever interests other people .

Well, people around here are numb to it. When there is a wall cloud, you get uninterupted coverage on all the news channels, so it's like "eh, whatever, I'll worry about it when it's close to me"
Especially since that day, we have constant weather interuptions.

But even for Oklahoma or Kansas or Texas or anywhere considered tornado alley, that was a fluke of epic proportions.
my dad did the same thing as my friends dad, he wasnt as close, but he said he was just outside watching it from 2 or 3 miles away. Pretty funny. That's what the old dudes do around here, sit around and watch the fascinating weather. The National Weather center is located here for a reason, I guess.

It makes for interesting weather but really interupts your golf game.

 

[U2DMfan]

I remember in 2000 when a large tornado ripped through downtown Fort Worth-nothing is weirder than seeing a 40 story glass skyscraper get mauled by a tornado. For a couple of years nobody was sure what was to be done with it so it was covered in plywood from top to bottom

we even got a lot of coverage of that.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Well, people around here are numb to it. When there is a wall cloud, you get uninterupted coverage on all the news channels, so it's like "eh, whatever, I'll worry about it when it's close to me"
Especially since that day, we have constant weather interuptions.

Yeah, I guess. People were like that in Iowa and Nebraska, too. I distinctly remember our family driving out to my dad's workplace whenever we'd have tornado warnings (as some of the homes we lived in did not have basements or good storm shelters) and there were people just milling around outside going about their business. And meanwhile I'm sitting in the car thinking, "Uh, guys? Notice the sky at all?"

Geez, I remember one day last June, back when my family was still living in Nebraska, we had a chance of severe storms one day. I was home by myself-my dad was doing a remote for work down in a town in far northwestern Missouri, and my mom and sister were also at their respective jobs. We were getting a storm in our town, and I don't like severe storms as it is, but they're even worse to me when I'm all alone/my family isn't anywhere near me at the time.

I looked out the window of our living room, and could swear I saw a cloud rotating in the distance. This bothered me a great deal, so I turned on our radio (which had batteries in it, just in case our power went out) to see if they'd had any alerts going on.

They were broadcasting a freakin' baseball game from Omaha. (I believe that was the city) They didn't even bother to cut in with weather reports. My dad remembered calling the station to see if there were any alerts for northwestern Missouri, as he saw a really ugly-looking wall cloud coming into where he was broadcasting from. And the guy replied and was like, "Oh, uh, yeah, your area's got a tornado warning." My dad was like, "Well, gee, thanks so much for warning me!" So even the broadcasters don't always pay that much attention. My dad was usually the one going in to do the reports whenever severe thunderstorms hit our area, because he was about the only one who even considered doing so.

Originally posted by U2DMfan
But even for Oklahoma or Kansas or Texas or anywhere considered tornado alley, that was a fluke of epic proportions.

Yeah. You guys get some pretty good-sized tornadoes down there, but even that was just a smidge on the insane side. I don't know what in the hell was going on in the atmosphere that day, but...yeah. That was crazy.

Originally posted by U2DMfan
my dad did the same thing as my friends dad, he wasnt as close, but he said he was just outside watching it from 2 or 3 miles away. Pretty funny. That's what the old dudes do around here, sit around and watch the fascinating weather. The National Weather center is located here for a reason, I guess.

It makes for interesting weather but really interupts your golf game.

LOL. Yeah, that's a common thing (heh, that's another thing-when my family'd be going to where my dad worked, I saw people still wandering around on the golf courses, too. Meanwhile there's lightning and thunder off in the distance. Real good idea, geniuses). I've just never had a desire to do that. I'll just watch the stuff on TV, that's all the closer I need to get to it.

Sally, that storm that hit Kenosha reminds me of when my sister and I were hiding out in our basement in one of our houses we used to live in in Iowa (my family lived in quite a few houses in that state) during a storm once. The radio kept saying the tornado, which was a big one...think an F3 or F4...was going to hit our town. Thankfully, it didn't, but it did instead turn and go towards the town of Swaledale and messed them up pretty good.

Never experienced an earthquake or a hurricane, though, so at least there's that . Also, you're welcome regarding the kind words and stuff .

Angela

 

[sallycinnamon78]

My fiance is from Australia, so he's used to all sorts of natural disaster nonsense.

One earthquake hit in the early hours of the morning. This occurred after Andy's family - in this case, his mum and his aunt - had gone to bed, hopelessly drunk.

His mum woke up at one pointand shouted to her sister that the room was shaking and stuff was moving around. Her sister yelled back that she was just drunk, there was nothing wrong, and to go to sleep.

The next morning when they got up, the bookcase had shifted several inches and parts of the roof had fallen off outside!! There was a huge fuss afterwards because parts of the cathedral had to be rebuilt.

Needless to say, it remains a huge family joke amongst them! Fools.

I remember an earth tremor in London in the late 1980's. It was only a few seconds long and was mild, but we felt it. I was about 10 at the time.

That said... the 2002 Dudley earthquake that I was banging on about earlier, which reached 5.0 on the Richter scale and ripped a few roads apart? I was staying at Andy's for a week (he went to uni in the Midlands). We slept straight through it!

 

[sallycinnamon78]

BBC again:


Residents camp out after tornado

Hundreds of properties were left damaged and trees uprooted
Residents have camped out in two sports centres in Birmingham after their homes were damaged by a tornado.

Twenty people were injured - three of them seriously - after winds of 130mph were recorded on Thursday afternoon.

The sudden storm damaged buildings and cars, uprooted trees, and took entire roofs off some homes in areas in the south of the city.

Emergency services worked alongside engineers overnight to clear tons of rubble and search properties.

Workers used dogs and specialist equipment to see if anyone had been trapped in damaged buildings.


There has not been one of this strength in many years
Met Office

"Hundreds" of properties in the Kings Heath area were damaged, council officials said.

West Midlands Fire Service said the areas affected by the tornado, which hit the area at 1445 BST, also included Moseley, Quinton, Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook.

Local residents have described their experiences to the BBC News website.

"Cars were forced to the other side of the road, bins went through car windows. Leaves, tiles and glass were all across the road," Hockley resident Estelle Skidmore said.

"I got home to find one tree crashed onto the front of my house, another crashed from my garden into my neighbour's garden, and chimneys smashed to smithereens after falling off my neighbour's house," said Liz Munro from Moseley.

Temporarily homeless

Birmingham City Council set up a shelters at Birmingham Sports Centre at Balsall Heath Road and Kings Heath Community Centre on Heathfield Road for people left temporarily homeless.

The Ambulance Service said patients had been taken to Heartlands Hospital, Selly Oak Hospital, and Dudley.

Insurers said household policies would cover most of the repairs. Car owners with fully comprehensive policies should also be able to make claims for damage.

"We have an average of 33 reports of tornadoes in the UK each year but these are especially rare in built-up areas and there has not been one of this strength in many years," said a Met Office spokesperson.

"City centres are not the natural habitat of a tornado; the tall buildings would normally stop their formation."

 

[verte76]

Ugh! I hope those people get home soon! It's no fun to have winds like that, trees uprooted all over, the streets a mess. That's the way it was when Hurricane Ivan hit us last year. I'm still recoveriing from Hurricane Ivan, it was that traumatic.

 

[TheQuiet1]

Just watched BBC news. Feel so sorry for those poor people... apparently many of the homes are so badly damaged they are going to have to be demolished. But at least no one was killed.

 

[TheQuiet1]

It caused minor damage and was felt across the West Midlands, Wales, North Yorkshire, London, and Wiltshire.

I didn't feel a thing! I feel cheated!

 

[Tilli]

Wow - I have just got back from visiting friends and seen on central news that you had a tornado in Brum. I am glad all is well as we aren't really used to that type of thing in the Midlands!

I also remember that tremor we had a few years ago with the epicentre in Dudley. We felt it here in a Stoke and it woke me up. Nothing like the quakes people in other parts of the world suffer, I can't imagine what they must be like.

 

[Tilli]

Wow - I have just got back from visiting friends and seen on central news that you had a tornado in Brum. I am glad all is well (at least no one was too badly injured I mean) as we aren't really used to that type of thing in the Midlands!

I also remember that tremor we had a few years ago with the epicentre in Dudley. We felt it here in a Stoke and it woke me up. Nothing like the quakes people in other parts of the world suffer, I can't imagine what they must be like.

 

[Liesje]

I missed that May 3rd, 1999 tornado that ripped thru Oklahoma City by about a mile and a half. It was on the ground for at least 8 hours, had winds measured at one point over 300 mph (fastest ever recorded) and was almost classified a F6, which doesnt even exist.

/B]

Here's the meteorology nerd in me coming out - I remember this tornado very well. I remember that one guy...Josh something?....getting the record windspeed. I think it was 318mph, which happens to be the max. limit for an F5 tornado. Personally, I would consider the tornado an F6 based on that windspeed. If he recorded 318 mph, you can bet it was going even 1mph faster at some point during its life, which bumps it up to F6. The F0-F5 ratings do have corrosponding wind speeds, ground speeds, etc, but the rating is (or is supposed to be, according to Fujita, the "F") given based on the damage alone. F6s and above I guess then would be classified based on the windspeed and the other factors, since the damage scale of an F5 is that everything is completely scattered and destroyed.

Anyway, an F3 even in Oklahoma, etc, is rare (74% of all tornadoes being F0-F2), so I'm astonished there was one in the UK. I don't know whether to be sad or excited.

We had a tornado (F2, 120mph winds) just a few miles north of where I've been vacationing for the past two weeks. Last week, there was this HUGE storm during the night. Lots of blackouts and brownouts w/ the electricity. We didn't realise until yesterday that there had been a tornado. I'm not sure if there were any eyewitnesses that could prove it was a tornado (as opposed to strong winds or a microburst), but we went to look at the damage and there is a definite NE path where HUGE trees were blown over, the tell-tale sign of the tornado being that about halfway down the trees, the trees are completely twisted and broken in half. Luckily, the path was only a few miles long and moved through the woods so the only major damage was trees and having to clear the roads and the river.