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
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. 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
Sparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.
Etymology
The area receives its name from Spark Brook, a small stream that f ...
area and also affected
King's Heath
Kings Heath (historically, and still occasionally King's Heath) is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, four miles south of the city centre. Historically in Worcestershire, it is the next suburb south from Moseley on the A435, Alcester road.
...
,
Moseley and
Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle.
History
Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of B ...
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.
In Birmingham, a tornado struck the city in 1931, killing one woman and severely damaging several houses.
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
Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harbor ...
– with six tornadoes touching down within the boundaries of the wider
West Midlands county.
Effects and damage
The main effects of the July 2005 tornado in Birmingham were felt on Ladypool Road, which bore the brunt of the damage.
Ladypool Primary School was extensively damaged and lost its distinctive
Martin & Chamberlain
John Henry Chamberlain, William Martin, and Frederick Martin were architects in Victorian Birmingham, England. Their names are attributed singly or pairs to many red brick and terracotta buildings, particularly 41 of the forty-odd Birmingham ...
tower. The adjacent
St Agatha's Church also suffered some damage.
Christ Church (consecrated in 1867), on the corner of Dolobran Road and Grantham Road in Sparkbrook, was also damaged and has now been demolished.
The
Met Office and
TORRO
The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) was founded by Terence Meaden in 1974. Originally called the Tornado Research Organisation it was expanded in 1982 following the inclusion of the Thunderstorm Census Organisation (TCO) after the d ...
(The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation) estimated that the tornado had a general T4 rating on the
TORRO scale, with a short spell as a T5 tornado,
which would indicate wind speeds between ,
equivalent to an F2 or F3 tornado on the
Fujita scale.
There were no fatalities, although there were approximately 19 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.
Second tornado in October
Three months later, thunderstorms brought a second tornado, which hit less than away from the original twister. The Met Office said there were winds of up to and it was strong enough to rip the roof off a corner house. Following this came widespread flooding across the region which brought havoc to Birmingham.
See also
*
List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
''Parent article:'' List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in Europe.
Pre-20th century
20th century
21st century
See also
* ...
*
Climate of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom straddles the higher mid-latitudes between 49° and 61°N on the western seaboard of Europe. Since the UK is always in or close to the path of the polar front jet stream, frequent changes in pressure and unsettled weather ar ...
*
1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
The 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak is regarded as the largest recorded tornado outbreak in European history. In the span of 5 hours and 26 minutes during the late morning and early afternoon of 23 November 1981, 104 confirmed tornadoes tou ...
References
External links
BBC Birmingham SiteBBC Birmingham - Pictures by the publicBirmingham City Council tornado pageThe Balti Triangle Back in Business (photos)
Forward - Birmingham City Council newspaper
ITN News report on the Birmingham tornado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPtdu6zLh8E
{{2005 tornado outbreaks
History of Birmingham, West Midlands
Tornadoes in the United Kingdom
Tornadoes of 2005
Birmingham Tornado, 2005
Weather events in England
2000s in Birmingham, West Midlands
Disasters in the West Midlands (county)
July 2005 events in the United Kingdom