Tornado tops extreme UK weather
Travel exodus at risk as Surrey whirlwind, severe floods and more heavy rain add to Christmas chaos
A TORNADO tore through Surrey yesterday as severe wet weather and nearly 100 flood warnings were predicted to bring more Christmas travel chaos.
Residents in the towns of Chertsey and Shepperton described hearing a sound like a plane taking off as fences, tree branches and garden furniture was hurled through the air.
The whirlwind, which lasted just over a minute, forced cars on the M25 to come to a halt as debris was strewn across the motorway carriages.
Entire trees were torn from the ground, car windows smashed and there were even reports of vans being blown over by the blast.
The Meteorological Office issued a radar image showing a “heavy shower” said to have contributed to the conditions required for a tornado to be formed. A separate doppler image showing the intense circling of raindrops caught up in the tornado itself.
Emergency services responded to calls from scared homeowners who suffered damage to properties and saw entire roofs ripped off sheds.
Firefighters worked throughout the afternoon to “make houses safe”, while Surrey Police were dispatched to “ensure the public’s safety”.
A severe weather warning is in force until midday today for much of the south of England, where many rivers have burst their banks and floodwaters have continued to rise.
It is feared that up to 30mm of rainfall will add to the misery of deluged regions already struggling to cope with intense downpours over recent days.
The town of St Ives in Cambridgeshire was one of the worst affected areas after the Great Ouse burst its banks following relentless rain.
Last night, there were 93 flood warnings – where flooding is expected – in place throughout the country with many in Devon, Cornwall, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Essex and Kent. Those counties have endured days of persistent heavy rain saturating the ground. There were a further 234 flood alerts – where flooding is possible.
The motoring body, the RAC, has predicted that more than 5million Christmas getaway trips will take place tomorrow and on Tuesday. However, a Meteorological Office spokesman warned there was more rain to come.
“It’s going to be very wet in southern parts as we go throughout the rest of Saturday and into Sunday,” he said.
“Rainfall totals are only looking like 20-30mm, so not exceptional for the time of year, but because it’s been so wet this month and the rest of autumn, there could be some flooding in these areas.”
While the East would see most of the sunshine, areas including Devon and
Cornwall in the south west of England would see more heavy rain later today.
Even more rain is then likely in Devon, Cornwall and Wales tomorrow morning, with scattered showers across the north and western areas of Scotland.
The spokesman added that those planning a Christmas getaway should allow plenty of time for journeys because rain could continue to cause travel chaos.
Temperatures remain average for this time of year, with the north of England hovering around 6C to 7C and the south of the country seeing 8C to 10C.
Meanwhile, those flying abroad for Christmas today and on Monday – two of the busiest days at many airports – were advised to help reduce queues at security gates by not packing wrapped Christmas presents in hand luggage.
Airports around the country have warned that security searches can mean wrapped presents will have to be unwrapped to comply with security rules.