Tornadoes in the UK and Europe
Yes, really. The UK reports dozens of tornadoes a year, and Europe hundreds. Most are small, but not all.
How many?
Around 30 tornadoes a year are reported in the UK. Met Office: Tornadoes · checked 31 Oct 2026
TORRO’s 30-year average (1981–2010) is about 36 tornadoes a year in the UK. TORRO: Media information · checked 31 Oct 2026
England has one of the highest tornado densities in the world: about 2.2 tornadoes per 10,000 km² a year, compared with 1.3 in the USA (a University of Manchester study). Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025) TORRO notes that the UK has been described as having the highest frequency of reported tornadoes per unit area in the world. TORRO: Tornado background
What they are like
UK tornadoes are usually small and short-lived, but can damage buildings if they pass over built-up areas. Met Office: Tornadoes Most UK tornadoes have winds of up to 72 mph, which is T0 or T1 on the TORRO scale. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
TORRO says “mini tornado” is not a recognised term: a tornado is a tornado, whatever its size. TORRO: Media information
Where and when
UK tornado hotspots: south-central England between Reading and London (peaking near Guildford), a corridor from Bristol through Birmingham to Manchester, and parts of Essex and Suffolk. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
UK tornadoes can happen at any time of year, but summer and autumn see the most. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025) In summer, UK tornadoes often form from single thunderstorms. In cooler months, they tend to form along narrow bands of storms on active cold fronts. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
On 23 January 2025, a tornado struck near Newquay in Cornwall, on a cold front linked to Storm Éowyn. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
Famous UK tornadoes
- The earliest known UK tornado hit London on 23 October 1091, damaging the church of St Mary-le-Bow. TORRO: Tornado extremes
- TORRO rates the Welbourn, Lincolnshire tornado of 23 October 1666 (T8–9) as the most intense known in the UK. TORRO: Tornado extremes
- The longest UK tornado track on TORRO’s list ran 32 km from Upton to Elsham in Lincolnshire on 19 August 1881. TORRO: Tornado extremes
- The UK’s deadliest tornado struck South Wales in 1913, killing five people. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
- On 23 November 1981, as a cold front swept across England and Wales, more than 100 tornadoes were reported in just over five hours: the largest recorded tornado outbreak in the UK and Europe. (TORRO’s own records count 104 tornadoes.) Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
- The widest UK tornado on TORRO’s list was at Selsey, West Sussex, on 7 January 1998: about 900 metres wide. TORRO: Tornado extremes
- The UK’s costliest tornado hit Birmingham in July 2005. It lasted about 10 minutes, injured 39 people and did an estimated £40 million of damage along an 11 km path. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
Who keeps the records?
The TORRO scale (T-scale), also called the International Tornado Intensity Scale, was devised in 1972 by Dr Terence Meaden in the UK. TORRO: The TORRO tornado intensity scale
The Met Office says the UK has little need of tornado warnings, but it works with NOAA in the USA to improve tornado forecasts. Met Office: Tornadoes
Europe
ESSL runs the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD), which collects quality-controlled reports of severe storms across Europe. ESSL: European Severe Weather Database
From 2006 to 2013, an average of at least 278 tornadoes over land, plus about 205 waterspouts, were reported across Europe each year. Groenemeijer & Kühne (2014), A Climatology of Tornadoes in Europe, Monthly Weather Review (ESSL) · checked 31 Oct 2026
In 2024, 1,080 tornado reports (including waterspouts) were added to the European Severe Weather Database. ESSL Annual Report 2024 · checked 31 Oct 2026
In 1917, the scientist Alfred Wegener estimated that Europe gets at least 100 tornadoes a year. The modern records prove him right. Groenemeijer & Kühne (2014), A Climatology of Tornadoes in Europe, Monthly Weather Review (ESSL)
In Europe, tornado reports are densest in western and central Europe, and tornadoes have been reported from almost every region. Groenemeijer & Kühne (2014), A Climatology of Tornadoes in Europe, Monthly Weather Review (ESSL)
Europe’s tornado season peaks in July, with the fewest in December. Groenemeijer & Kühne (2014), A Climatology of Tornadoes in Europe, Monthly Weather Review (ESSL) In Europe, tornadoes over land are most common between 3 and 4 p.m. local time; waterspouts peak between 9 and 10 a.m. Groenemeijer & Kühne (2014), A Climatology of Tornadoes in Europe, Monthly Weather Review (ESSL)
Violent European tornadoes
Europe has had violent tornadoes too: ESSL lists Montville, France (19 August 1845) among Europe’s IF5 tornadoes. ESSL: Violent tornadoes in Europe
ESSL says the deadliest European tornado of recent decades hit the Ivanovo region of Russia in 1984, killing at least about 70 people. ESSL: FAQ about severe weather
In Europe, the International Fujita (IF) scale was published on 28 July 2023. ESSL says the US EF scale was built for typical US structures and is hard to use elsewhere. ESSL: The International Fujita scale
TORRO’s advice is the same in the UK: don’t try to outrun a tornado in a car; shelter in a solid building, or lie flat in a ditch if you’re caught in the open. TORRO: Media information For weather warnings in the UK, follow the Met Office.
