[PaulKn]

From the TORRO pages:

Largest Tornado Outbreak
The largest tornado outbreak in Britain is also the largest tornado outbreak known anywhere in Europe. On November 23, 1981, 105 tornadoes were spawned by a cold front in the space of 5.25 hours. Excepting Derbyshire, every county in a triangular area from Gwynedd to Humberside to Essex was hit by at least one tornado, while Norfolk was hit by at least 13. Very fortunately most tornadoes were short-lived and also weak (the strongest was around T5 on the TORRO Tornado Scale) and no deaths occurred.

[admin]

Wow, 25 years ago.

What was the approx time of the first tornado reported Paul?

[summer '85]

The date is wrong, it should be the 23rd of November

It was due to a vigorous cold front sweeping down from the NW during the 23rd of November

 http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/1981/Rrea00119811124.gif

 

[PaulKn]

Hmm, odd...not sure why the website says otherwise! For some reason I thought it was the 21st, but the charts don't look conducive!!

[summer '85]

Quote

PaulKn - 20/11/2006 12:04 Hmm, odd...not sure why the website says otherwise! For some reason I thought it was the 21st, but the charts don't look conducive!!

 

The synoptic charts for the 21st of November has a warm front moving through but the 23rd has a cold front/squall line pushing down from the NW. The temperature difference between the 23rd and 24th was large, a real potent squall line. :)

[PaulKn]

Yes - now I think about it, it is the 23rd - will have to get the website changed!!

[PaulKn]

Now today is the correct day (and the 25th anniversary!).

[ChaserUK]

mmmm, always been facinated by this to be honest but I can never seem to find any pictures or vid which is frustrating!

[Brightspark]

yes the last 20 novembers in a row after the year 1986 have been mainly warm ones.

There is more and more flooding in this month every year now.

Every November since has been above average

[PaulKn]

?!

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

ChaserUK - 23/11/2006 13:52 mmmm, always been facinated by this to be honest but I can never seem to find any pictures or vid which is frustrating!

Don't think anyone will ever video an ana cold front tornado in the UK. These fronts produce intense bands of rain or small hail that drop the vis to a few hundred metres or even less, this precip wrapping itself around any tornado. Evidence of these tornadoes only comes to light afterwards with damage reports or reports of noise like an express train.

N.

[rushyx]

So that was an ANA cold front was it? Am I right to say the majority cold fronts here in the UK are of type KATA? I have been trying to unravel this for a while. I presume the names derive from ANAbatic and KATAbatic? Don't want to get off topic here, but just wondered!
Paul

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

rushyx - 5/12/2006 09:25 So that was an ANA cold front was it? Am I right to say the majority cold fronts here in the UK are of type KATA? I have been trying to unravel this for a while. I presume the names derive from ANAbatic and KATAbatic? Don't want to get off topic here, but just wondered! Paul

Spot on. Most UK warm fronts are Ana fronts and most cold fronts Kata, ana meaning ascent, and kata descent. All depends on the system relative flow of air relative to the movement of the front.

N.

[PaulKn]

Yes - Saturday night's cold front was definately ana! It all depends on the orientation of the warm conveyor of air to the frontal surface...in the case of ana cold fronts, the flow of the conveyor is up and over the frontal boundary, leading to marked ascent on the front, and often, deep convection.

[summer '85]

30 years ago

[Nigel Bolton]

Remember the day well. Was a remarkable time for tornadoes in the UK, there were many reports, both of singular and swarms of tornadoes from around May 1979 to February 1983.

Tornadoes during the past 5 years or so, have become remarkably rare.

N.