2005 Birmingham tornado
Damage caused by the tornado in Moseley
Meteorological history
Duration8 minutes
Formed28 July 2005, 14:30 BST (UTC+01:00)
T5-6 tornado
on the TORRO scale
Highest winds137 mph (220 km/h) (Birchwood Road, Balsall Heath)
Overall effects
Casualties0 fatalities, 19 injuries
Damage£40 million (2005)
Areas affectedBirmingham, United Kingdom

The 2005 Birmingham tornado was one of the strongest tornadoes recorded in Great Britain in nearly 30 years, occurring on 28 July 2005 in the suburbs of Birmingham. It formed on a day when thunderstorms were expected to develop across the Midlands and eastern England. The tornado struck at approximately 14:30 BST in the Sparkbrook area and also affected King's Heath, Moseley and Balsall Heath as it carved a 7 kilometre-long path through the city.

Background

While England has more reported tornadoes, relative to its land area, than any other country, the vast majority are weak. The strongest recorded tornado in the country struck Portsmouth on 14 December 1810, with a T8 (F4) rating. According to the Met Office, around 30 tornadoes hit the UK every year, though most are small and dissipate without causing significant damage.[1]

In Birmingham, a tornado struck the city in 1931, killing one woman and severely damaging several houses.[2] On 23 November 1981, during a record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak, two tornadoes touched down within the Birmingham city limits – in Erdington and Selly Oak – with six tornadoes touching down within the boundaries of the wider West Midlands county.[3]

Effects and damage

The main effects of the July 2005 tornado in Birmingham were felt in the Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook neighbourhoods, which bore the brunt of the damage. On Ladypool Road, several shops had their windows blown out and lost portions of their roofs. Ladypool Primary School was extensively damaged and lost its distinctive Martin & Chamberlain tower. The adjacent St Agatha's Church also suffered some damage. Several rows of homes along Birchwood Road and Alder Road in Balsall Heath had their roofs torn off, and top floor walls torn down. Cars were rolled several meters down driveways. Along Roshven Road, an end terrace house lost all top floor exterior walls. Christ Church (consecrated in 1867), on the corner of Dolobran Road and Grantham Road in Sparkbrook, was also damaged and has now been demolished.[4][5]


The Met Office and TORRO (The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation) estimated that the tornado had a general T4 rating on the TORRO scale, with a short spell with T5/6 damage,[6] which would indicate wind speeds between 137 and 186 mph (220 and 299 km/h),[7] equivalent to an F2 or F3 tornado on the Fujita scale.

There were no fatalities, although there were approximately 39 injuries, three of which were reported to be serious. The tornado uprooted an estimated 1,100 trees, removed the roofs of buildings, picked up and deposited cars and caused other damage during its short existence. The total cost of damage was estimated at £40 million.[8]

Second tornado in October

Three months later, thunderstorms brought a second tornado, which hit less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) away from the original twister. The Met Office said there were winds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h) and it was strong enough to rip the roof off a corner house on Dovey Road in Moseley. Following this came widespread flooding across the region which brought havoc to Birmingham.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tornado". Met Office. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "BIRMINGHAM STRUCK BY A TORNADO! - British Pathe". 1931. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  3. ↑ "European Severe Weather Database".
  4. ↑ Indymedia UK - After the tornado: "market forces" force demolition of Sparkbrook Church
  5. ↑ Ecclesiastical Law Society Archived 2006-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Ten years ago this month on 28th July 2005 shortly after 1:30pm a tornado struck Birmingham causing extensive damage" (PDF). Tornado and Storm Research Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". The Tornado & Storm Research Organisation Severe Weather Forecast. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Wild Weather: Birmingham tornado". 14 September 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Second tornado strikes Birmingham". 13 October 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2022.

ITN News report on the Birmingham tornado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPtdu6zLh8E

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