The Tornado and Storm Research Organization (TORRO) issued the warning earlier this afternoon (5 September) and said it would remain in effect until 1am on Tuesday. “Isolated tornadoes” are possible, along with “moderately large hail and gusty winds.” The warning covers most of Lancashire, with the exception of northern areas such as Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and Carnforth. Other parts of the North West are also covered by the warning along with Wales, the West Midlands and South West England, while there is also a separate tornado warning for Ireland and parts of Northern Ireland. READ MORE: Met Office verdict with storms to hit Lancashire while Blackpool and Preston worst hit The TORRO log said: “A rather intense vertically stacked low is SW of the Republic of Ireland. A shortwave threshold is moving ENE and will spread across the area this afternoon and evening.” “Convection has developed ahead of a more general area of precipitation, while other convection within the rain may develop. Shear will be sufficient for cell organization and perhaps rotation, leading to the risk of moderately large hail and gusty winds.” “Furthermore, a tornado or two cannot be ruled out, especially from frontal convection.” The Tornado and Storm Research Organization said “one or two tornadoes cannot be ruled out” Heavy rain and thunderstorms were set to return on Monday after more than 36,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK in just 12 hours. Thunder and lightning struck large areas of the country on Sunday night, including south-east England, south-west England, most of Northern Ireland, Wales, east England, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. The weather front is expected to sweep across the country from the west, affecting central and southern regions before heading north overnight. Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said up to 80mm of rain could fall in three hours within the weather warning area and would likely cause some disruption. “The main factor driving our weather over the next few days and indeed through the week is an area of low pressure coming into the west of the UK. And it’s been sitting there all week, moving very slowly to the east,” Mr Clayton said. “Out of that low pressure area we’re going to get a series of fronts that sort of break away from it, as well as the storms that push up from the south. We also have a cold front moving east from this low pressure, also bringing further rain,” he added. “In this warning area there is a chance of between 20 and 30 millimeters of rain in one hour and perhaps 50 to 80 millimeters of accumulation over three hours. So some rain at that time. “Compared to the weather we’ve had all summer, with prolonged dry conditions and high pressure, it’s quite a change in weather pattern as we move into autumn. “Particularly in warning areas, it’s best to keep up to date with the forecast to understand how it might affect you.” Mr Clayton said unsettled weather could continue on Tuesday and into the rest of the week, but should stabilize by the weekend. All flood warnings in place after Sunday’s downpour have been lifted, according to environmental agencies in all four nations.
What causes tornadoes?
A tornado is 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 strong storms. Many conditions must be present for a tornado to form, but when these conditions are met, a violently swirling mass of air, known as a vortex, forms below the storm cloud. A funnel cloud usually develops as the vortex forms due to the reduced pressure in the vortex. Strong incoming winds intensify and the rate of rotation increases as the vortex stretches vertically. If it continues to stretch and intensify long enough, the vortex touches the ground, at which point it is classified as a tornado. The tornado then moves across the surface causing severe damage or destruction to objects in its path. A tornado usually takes the form of a rotating funnel-shaped cloud between the base of the cloud and the ground. Sometimes the vortex can appear as a thin rope-like form, particularly when the tornado is weakening, sometimes a tornado can be almost invisible, visible from the debris thrown up from the surface. READ NEXT:
