London tornado of 1091
F4 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Fatalities | 2 |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
The London Tornado of 1091 is the earliest reported tornado in England, occurring in London on Friday, 17 October 1091.[1][2] It has been estimated by modern assessment as possibly a T8 on the TORRO scale (roughly equivalent to an F4 on the Fujita scale) making it one of the strongest recorded tornadoes in the British Isles, alongside the 1666 Lincolnshire tornado,[3] although this estimate is based on reports written 30 years later.[4]
The church of St Mary-le-Bow in the city of London was badly damaged; four rafters 26 feet (7.9 m) long were driven into the ground so that only 4 feet (1.2 m) protruded above the surface.[4] Other nearby churches were demolished by the tornado, as were over 600 mostly wooden houses. For all the damage, there were just two known fatalities in a population of about 18,000.[4][3][5] The tornado is mentioned in chronicles by Florence of Worcester and William of Malmesbury, the latter describing it as "a great spectacle for those watching from afar, but a terrifying experience for those standing near".[3]
See also
- Tornado records
- 2006 London tornado
References
- ^ Rowe, M. W. (1976). "Tornadoes in medieval Britain" (PDF). Journal of Meteorology. 1 (7): 219–222. ISSN 1748-2992.
- ^ "Tornado Country – NOVA – PBS". www.pbs.org.
- ^ a b c Rowe, Michael (November 1999). "'Work of the devil': Tornadoes in the British Isles to 1660" (PDF). Journal of Meteorology. 24 (243): 326–338. ISSN 1748-2992. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "British & European Extremes". The Tornado & Storm Research Organisation (TORRO). Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ Schofield, John; Vince, Alan (2003). Medieval Towns: The Archaeology of British Towns in Their European Setting. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-8264-6002-8.
- v
- t
- e
- January 1881
- March 1891
- April 1981
- January 1995
- February 2009
- March 2013
- March 2018 (Emma)
- March 2023 (Larisa)
- Bristol Channel 16071
- Holmfirth 1738, 1777, 1944
- North East England 1771
- Strathspey 1829
- Thames 1928
- Thames 1947
- South England 1968
- Autumn 2000
- Summer 2007
- August 2008
- November–December 2009
- 2012–13
- Winter 2013–14
- Somerset Levels 2013–14
- Winter 2015–16
- June 2016
- Winter 2019–20
- Yorkshire Dales 2019
- Summer 2022
- 2023
- 2024
former hurricanes
- December 1703
- November 1824
- January 1839
- August 1848
- October 1859
- February 1871
- December 1879
- October 1881
- September 1961 (Debbie)
- February 1962
- January 1968
- January 1976
- August 1986 (Charley)
- October 1987
- January 1990
- October 1996 (Lili)
- December 1998
- January 2007
- September 2011 (Katia)
- December 2011
- January 2012
- October 2013
- December 2013
- Christmas 2013
- January 2014
- February 2014
- October 2014 (Gonzalo)
- November 2015 (Abigail)
- December 2015 (Desmond)
- December 2015 (Eva)
- October 2017 (Ophelia)
- January 2018 (Eleanor)
- October 2019 (Lorenzo)
- February 2020 (Ciara)
- February 2020 (Dennis)
- September 2020 (Alex)
- December 2021 (Barra)
- February 2022 (Eunice)
- October 2023 (Babet)
- November 2023 (Ciarán)