A rare weather watch has been issued for parts of the UK and Ireland today (Monday 5 September). According to the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO), 'one or two' tornadoes are possible on Monday and into the evening across the 'watch area.'
Currently the affected areas include the Republic of Ireland and southern parts of Northern Ireland. TORRO said in its weather update: "The persistence of active thunderstorms with northward-extent is somewhat uncertain, hence the rather large area."
'Strong wind gusts and reasonably-large hail' are also possible and 'lightning and heavy rain' are additional hazards, according to TORRO. Meanwhile, conditions across parts of south west England and Wales, into the Midlands and central south England are being monitored for a possible advisory or watch.
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The Met Office described a tornado as 'a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. They form in very unsettled weather conditions as part of severe thunderstorms.'
TORRO defines a severe thunderstorm as producing one or more of the following:
- one or more tornadoes and / or waterspouts
- hail with diameter of at least 20mm
- non-tornadic winds gusting to 55 mph or more at surface (but which are not part of synoptic-scale straight-line winds of such velocities)
But it notes that thunder and/or lightning does not necessarily need to be present for any of the conditions listed above to occur.
The most recent storms took place only weeks ago, with wind damage recorded in Benone, County Londonderry on July 23. A 'funnel cloud' hit Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands in on July 2.
While not quite a tornado, the Met Office says a funnel cloud 'does not reach the earth's surface.' If it did reach land, it would become a tornado, or if it reaches a body of water it becomes a waterspout.
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