Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | 3–4, August 2008 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 13 confirmed |
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~28+1⁄2 hours |
Fatalities | 3 fatalities (+1 non-tornadic), ≥ 50 injuries |
Damage | Several million Euros |
Areas affected | France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
The August 2008 European tornado outbreak was a widespread severe weather event which spawned thirteen tornadoes in four countries, one of which killed three people in France. This particular tornado reached F4 intensity. [1]
Tornadoes are amongst the most costly natural hazards in Poland. On 15 August 2008, a tornado resulted in damage to 1624 buildings in the provinces of Opole, Katowice and Łódź. In the aftermath of this disaster, a damage survey was performed which is presented in this paper. While the tornado was passing, the peak gust wind velocities were estimated to be from 52 m/s (187 km/h) to 72 m/s (259 km/h) in the studied area. For low-rise brick buildings, which are common in Poland, some design details for the current building standards are suggested. They can lead to the improvement of building technology used in this type of buildings in order to mitigate the effects of extreme winds, which occur in tornadoes.[ citation needed ]
On 3 August, several areas of low pressure developed. Frontal systems extended from one of the lows, stretching from the Azores to the Germany coastline.
FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, 3 August 2008 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | State | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Germany | ||||||
F0 | N of Langeneß (1st tornado) | Schleswig-Holstein | 54°40′N8°36′E / 54.66°N 8.60°E | 1150 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near the coast of northern Germany. The waterspout dissipated before reaching shore. [2] |
F1 | N of Langeneß (2nd tornado) | Schleswig-Holstein | 54°40′N8°36′E / 54.66°N 8.60°E | 1150 | unknown | The second of two waterspouts near Langeneß developed in the same location as the first but briefly tracked onshore, tossing beach chairs before dissipating. [2] |
F0 | N of Büsum | Schleswig-Holstein | 1300 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near Büsum. [2] | |
F0 | N of Norderney | Lower Saxony | 1453 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near Norderney. [2] | |
F2 | Goldenstedt area | Lower Saxony | 52°47′N8°26′E / 52.78°N 8.43°E | 2115 | 4 km (2.5 mi) | The strongest tornado to touch down in Germany during the outbreak struck Goldenstedt. Numerous homes were damaged by the tornado and several trees were uprooted. [2] |
Netherlands | ||||||
F1 | Oostermeer area | Friesland | 53°10′N6°03′E / 53.17°N 6.05°E | 1745 | unknown | A tornado tracked for 25 minutes in Friesland and damaged large areas of trees and tore roofs off several homes. [3] |
F2 | Groningen area | Groningen | 53°12′N6°15′E / 53.20°N 6.25°E | 1845 | unknown | A strong F2 tornado damaged or destroyed several homes and barns and uprooted numerous trees. The maximum width of the tornado was estimated at 200 metres. Dozens of people were reportedly injured by the tornado and damages exceeded €100,000. [3] |
France | ||||||
F4 | Hautmont area | Nord | 50°15′N3°56′E / 50.25°N 3.93°E | 2200 | 18.7 km (11.6 mi) | 3 deaths– See section on this tornado |
List of reported tornadoes - Monday, 4 August 2008 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F# | Location | State | Coord. | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage |
Germany | ||||||
F1 | Deckbergen area | Lower Saxony | 0258 | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) | A 200 to 300 metre wide tornado damaged several residences. [2] | |
F1 | Birkenau area | Hesse | 49°34′N8°43′E / 49.56°N 8.71°E | 0650 | 330 m (360 yd) | A brief and narrow tornado damaged several homes and tore bricks off the local firehouse. [2] |
Poland | ||||||
F0 | Augustów area | Podlaskie Voivodeship | 53°51′N23°00′E / 53.85°N 23.00°E | 1400 | 200 m (220 yd) | A brief rope tornado touched down in Augustów |
F0 | Świdnik area | Lublin Voivodeship | 51°15′N22°52′E / 51.25°N 22.86°E | 1510 | 200 m (220 yd) | A brief rope tornado touched down in Świdnik |
F2 | Jastkowice area | Subcarpathian Voivodeship | 50°37′N22°06′E / 50.62°N 22.10°E | 1615 | unknown | |
F4 tornado | |
---|---|
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Fatalities | 3 fatalities, 18 injuries |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale |
The tornado initially touched down outside the city of Pont-sur-Sambre, initially causing damage ranging from F0 to F1 in intensity. The tornado then moved through a corn field at 20:28 UTC before causing damage to power lines and roofs of buildings in the northern part of town. The storm rapidly strengthened immediately after hitting Pont-sur-Sambre, reaching F2-F3 strength just about 2 km from the point of touchdown, and a few homes and structures sustained significant damage in this area. At the 20:31 UTC the tornado intensified further and caused major damage to some rural brick homes, one of which was completely leveled to the ground at F4 (T8) strength, and the other sustaining F2 (T4-T5) damage. With winds in excess of 300 km / h (F4), the tornado reached a forested area, debarking or uprooting all the trees within a radius of 150 m. Maintaining its strength, the violent tornado struck Hautmont, flattening multiple brick homes and structures, killing 3 people, and injuring 18 others. Numerous other homes and some apartment buildings had major structural damage, and a sports complex was also severely damaged. Multiple cars were picked up and thrown hundreds of meters, some of which were hurled into buildings, and large trees were denuded and debarked. Small objects from town were also found tens of kilometers away. At 20:35 the weakening but still strong tornado arrived in Maubeuge, causing damage of F2 (T4/5) and F1 (T2/T3) strength, destroying a church tower and damaging many other buildings. At 20:40 the tornado began to shrink in size and strength, causing F0 damage to some trees and structures before finally dissipating at 20:42 not far from the border of Belgium.
The tornado remained on the ground for about 14 minutes with a displacement speed of about 40–50 km/h and winds that have exceeded 300 km / h along a total path of 18.7 km, killing 3 people and damaging or destroying about 1000 buildings with a width of 150m-200m.
The 2002 Veterans Day weekend tornado outbreak was an unusually severe and expansive severe weather event across portions of the Central and Eastern United States from the evening hours of November 9 into the early morning hours of Veterans Day, November 11, 2002. A series of troughs tracked eastward across the United States, providing strong wind shear, while anomalously warm and unstable air surged northward into the Ohio River Valley. As a result, multiple tornadoes occurred across Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri on November 9. A far more widespread and severe event occurred the following day, with three distinct tornado outbreaks focused across areas from Illinois to Pennsylvania; Tennessee and Kentucky; and areas from Mississippi to South Carolina. The most intense tornado of the outbreak was a violent F4 tornado that occurred near Van Wert, Ohio. A total of 76 tornadoes occurred during the 3-day period, collectively resulting in 36 deaths and 303 injuries. As of 2022, the event ranks as the third-largest tornado outbreak on record in November.
The 1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak was the third notable US tornado outbreak to occur on Palm Sunday and the second to take place in the Southeastern United States. The outbreak produced 29 tornadoes from Texas to North Carolina, killing 40 people and injuring 491, and causing $140 million in damage. The deadliest storm of the outbreak, as well as in the US in 1994, was an F4 tornado that devastated Piedmont, Alabama. It struck the Goshen United Methodist Church right in the middle of the Palm Sunday service, collapsing the roof on the congregation and killing 20 people inside, including the Rev. Kelly Clem's 4-year-old daughter Hannah. Two other houses of worship were also destroyed mid-service. The supercell that formed this tornado tracked for 200 miles (322 km) to South Carolina.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2006. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Brazil and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
The Tornado outbreak of November 1992, sometimes referred to as The Widespread Outbreak, was a devastating, three-day outbreak of tornadoes that struck the Eastern and Midwestern United States on November 21–23. This exceptionally long-lived and geographically large outbreak produced 95 tornadoes over a 41-hour period, making it one of the longest-lasting and largest outbreaks ever recorded in the US, and published studies of the outbreak have indicated the possibility of even more tornadoes. There were 26 fatalities, 641 injuries, and over $300 million in damage.
Tornado intensity is the measure of wind speeds and potential risk produced by a tornado. Intensity can be measured by in situ or remote sensing measurements, but since these are impractical for wide-scale use, intensity is usually inferred by proxies, such as damage. The Fujita scale, Enhanced Fujita scale, and the International Fujita scale rate tornadoes by the damage caused. In contrast to other major storms such as hurricanes and typhoons, such classifications are only assigned retroactively. Wind speed alone is not enough to determine the intensity of a tornado. An EF0 tornado may damage trees and peel some shingles off roofs, while an EF5 tornado can rip well-anchored homes off their foundations, leaving them bare— even deforming large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. Doppler radar data, photogrammetry, and ground swirl patterns may also be analyzed to determine the intensity and assign a rating.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2004. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2001. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
During the evening of June 22, 2007, a powerful F5 tornado struck the town of Elie, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was part of a small two-day tornado outbreak that occurred in the area and reached a maximum width of 150 yards (140 m). The tornado was unusual because it caused the extreme damage during its roping out stage at a mere 35 yards (32 m) in width and moved extremely slowly and unpredictably. The tornado tracked primarily southeast, as opposed to the usual northeast, and made multiple loops and sharp turns. Because Environment Canada adopted the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2013, there will be no more tornadoes with an F5 rating, making this tornado the first and last confirmed F5 tornado in Canada.
On Tuesday, June 2, 1998, one of the most significant tornado outbreaks in recent history hit the east-central United States. The severe weather event spawned a total of 33 tornadoes in nine states from New York to South Carolina and caused an estimated $40 million in damage, 77 injuries and 2 fatalities. For Pennsylvania in particular, it was the second historic and deadly severe weather outbreak in three days, as it immediately followed the late-May 1998 tornado outbreak and derecho.
A tornado outbreak struck southern and central Poland on 15 August 2008. Overall, it killed four people. Tornadoes affected Opole Voivodeship, Silesian Voivodeship and Łódź Voivodeship. The European Storm Forecast Experiment issued a Level 3 which means there could potentially be a major severe thunderstorm outbreak.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1989, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
A widespread, destructive, and deadly tornado outbreak sequence affected the Southeastern United States from April 28 to May 2, 1953, producing 24 tornadoes, including five violent F4 tornadoes. The deadliest event of the sequence was an F4 tornado family that ravaged Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia, on April 30, killing at least 18 people and injuring 300 or more others. On May 1, a pair of F4 tornadoes also struck Alabama, causing a combined nine deaths and 15 injuries. Additionally, another violent tornado struck rural Tennessee after midnight on May 2, killing four people and injuring eight. Additionally, two intense tornadoes impacted Greater San Antonio, Texas, on April 28, killing three people and injuring 20 altogether. In all, 36 people were killed, 361 others were injured, and total damages reached $26.713 million (1953 USD). There were additional casualties from non-tornadic events as well, including a washout which caused a train derailment that injured 10.
A large, weeklong tornado outbreak sequence of 73 tornadoes occurred on May 3–9, 1961, impacting areas from Utah to the East Coast of the United States. Overall, the outbreak sequence caused 23 fatalities, 126 injuries, and $42.205 million in damages.
Between April 23–30, 1961, a tornado outbreak sequence struck the Midwest, Ohio, and Mississippi Valleys, and the Eastern United States. Large hailstorms accompanied the tornadoes as well and numerous other weather events also occurred. Three people were killed, 38 others were injured and losses totaled $26.810 million. Two additional fatalities also occurred due to flooding and lightning.
A rare, violent, and deadly long-tracked tornado struck several villages in the Hodonín and Břeclav districts of the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic in the evening of 24 June 2021, killing six people and injuring 576 others. This tornado is the widest on record in Europe, at 3.5km maximum width. The tornado struck seven municipalities, with the worst damage in the villages of Hrušky, Moravská Nová Ves, Mikulčice and Lužice.
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2022. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. Worldwide, 32 tornado-related deaths were confirmed: 23 in the United States, three in China, two each in Poland and Russia, and one each in the Netherlands and Ukraine.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1948, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. Also, prior to 1950, tornadoes were not officially surveyed by the U.S. Weather Bureau, which would later become the National Weather Service, and thus had no official rating. All documented significant tornadoes were instead given unofficial ratings by tornado experts like Thomas P. Grazulis.