Funnels and tornados galore

Su Campu

There was a nice funnel observed in Maghera yesterday, plus a tornado in Eglington, and a funnel in Prestwick today. With these conditions hanging around for the next few days, everybody keep their eyes peeled and the camera handy and you never know what you might see! Friday's looking like a good candidate!

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/storms/tornado-touches-down-in-county-derry/19356.html

eskimocat

Excellent, thanks for the heads up, just remembered the camera battery is flat, right now where did I leave the charger... scratches head... mmmm


fingers crossed, spent the day with eyes in the skies today, seen a huge anvil cloud but no action..

Harps

Does the terrain have much of an effect on how these form? I know Maghera is right at the bottom of the Glenshane Pass at the start of a vast flat area, the US tornado's mainly happen in the central plains which are very flat as well

Just wondering what the potential is here considering Eglington is only 20 miles away but Letterkenny and the surrounding area is full of hills and valleys

Min

The farmer, workers and cattle were lucky to survive that tornado in Eglington in Derry, they were in the shed working with the animals and the roof was lifted off the shed and up into the air, they said they thought a bomb had went off, it knocked concrete wall onto the car totally crushing it.
Very lucky it wasn't worse as it was a very destructive tornado.

Min

Harps wrote: »

Does the terrain have much of an effect on how these form? I know Maghera is right at the bottom of the Glenshane Pass at the start of a vast flat area, the US tornado's mainly happen in the central plains which are very flat as well

Just wondering what the potential is here considering Eglington is only 20 miles away but Letterkenny and the surrounding area is full of hills and valleys

I saw several funnel clouds about 8 years in what is a hilly area and it looked like one reached the ground, it was along a squall line that contained a lot of thunder and lightning.
The squall line produced at least one tornado in the UK as it was reported on the BBC weather.
If the conditions are right you could be hit.

M.T. Cranium

Flat terrain more likely to see tornado activity because hilly terrain can break up the developing funnels. However, funnel clouds (those abortive cases where the funnel extends less than all the way to the ground) can appear over hilly terrain as well as flatter landscapes. Funnel clouds may be fairly common sights the next 2-3 days as freezing levels come down ever closer to the surface, and hail will definitely be a widespread phenomenon.

Your chance of seeing a real tornado like the one reported in Derry is realistically about one in half a million, but I would not be surprised if we get one or two more reports in the next few days. The dynamics are good for funnel clouds to come down low enough to become F0 tornado or "rope" tornado events briefly. A stronger tornado would require higher dew points and stronger frontal dynamics, usually.

If anyone wants to see a good video of a funnel cloud that almost (but not quite) formed a tornado, the Netweather chasers got one yesterday in North Dakota. Link is as follows, go to post number 5 in the thread:

http://forum.netweather.tv/topic/69809-reports-and-pictures-chase-day-39/

gbee

Harps wrote: »

Does the terrain have much of an effect on how these form?

Yes, they are very delicate and many will attempt to form but as they close on the ground could be interrupted by wind off the hills and so on.

They are thought not to form in cities ~ but once formed, the ground would be less of an impediment.

Tornadoes have been sighted everywhere, even were they should not be, but these would be rare and unusual.

BEASTERLY

I have seen 3 funnels here in the last three years, and got photos of them all too. All were from afternoon thuderstorms approaching from the NW. And all three formed in the same portions of the sky.

h57xiucj2z946q

BBC's coverage:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13712848

snowstreams

What strength on the torro scale was that tornado in Derry?
It must have surely been a T2 to be able to damage the walls and roof so badly?

redsteveireland

I took these yesterday at around 14:45.
Had to stop a few times and was almost late for work as a result

Are they the usual charecteristics of a funnel cloud trying to form? Is that correct description?
The section I have circled seemed to form and disappear every few seconds and was moving quite fast.
I drove along beside it and there was some big hail off the edges of it.

Felt a bit like Iancar...:) but not quite:(











I made a video at this point but its 16mins and needs some editing before I put it up.

Iancar29

Told ya's all I would bring some weather home for ya's!

On the way home from Cork at the mo.. So it'll be the iPhone if anything is to occur that will be capturing it

I hope some of u's who never seen one yet gets to see one today!


Oh and I'll be starting to go through all my photos and videos on Sunday. So ye I'll be putting a thread up in pictures for that

gbee

Iancar29 wrote: »

Told ya's all I would bring some weather home for ya's!

Ryan Air will be sending you a bill for that, if you did not travel with him, he'll charge you for the disruption to his flights ....

I should have given you a wave as you passed through,

Harps

Pretty sure I saw a mini funnel cloud yesterday around Fintown in central Donegal, not as obvious as the one in Maghera the other day but it definitely extended towards the ground.

Iancar29

Some nice rain clouds to the northeast of Cashel now, could intensify

mickger844posts

Took this pic in Waterford today,no funnels out of this but the way it built from nothing in the distance to a dark monster was wonderful to see.

http://twitpic.com/59nvhh

Added more images from this set to Waterford Weather Facebook Page Here www.facebook.com/waterfordweather

Hal1

mickger844posts wrote: »

Took this pic in Waterford today,no funnels out of this but the way it built from nothing in the distance to a dark monster was wonderful to see.



http://twitpic.com/59nvhh

Can you tell me where you got that radar image on your twitt pics? if you don't mind me asking .

mickger844posts

Hal1 wrote: »

Can you tell me where you got that radar image on your twitt pics? if you don't mind me asking .

Its the Netweather.tv radar. The best in my opinion.

Hal1

mickger844posts wrote: »

Its the Netweather.tv radar. The best in my opinion.

Ah right I wasn't sure, taught it might have been a free one like raintoday. Thanks.

Porridgemonster

Saw a funnel or tornado on my way down from Dublin to Limerick last Tuesday afternoon near the Borris in Ossorry exit,got really windy and the funnel was a distintive white against the very black clouds and was swirling really fast towards the top,I couldnt believe what I was seeing at first and I kind of lost sight of it behind the hills alongside motorway but was really impressive to witness !

fryup

will the conditions be favourable for funnels this weekend??

BEASTERLY

fryup wrote: »

will the conditions be favourable for funnels this weekend??

Tomorrow yes, especially in the south. My prediction is that carlow/kilkenny will be in with the best chance of gettin a few thunderstorms. Funnels can never be ruled out!

snowstreams

Did anyone else hear about the tornado in Portlaoise yesterday? On 2fm they were interviewing a woman that had her house hit by it. It happened at about 8:30pm. She said it took away her bbq and her trampoline and did severe damage to her roof tiles, and made an almighty noise!
The neighbours said they saw it come straight over her house and then off into a field.
Did anyone see the radar for the area at that time yesterday? I wonder was there hook echoes on it?

NIALL D

interesting , but i didnt hear anything about it .... was it 8.30 pm ???

Hal1

Any mention from 2fm's site or the name of the journalist that interviewed the woman? If anyone's reg'd with netweather maybe they can post a high res radar of the area or add any more info on it.

snowstreams

It was the Colm Hayes show. Tracy was her name, she was on about 12:30.
Hopefully i can listen to the podcast.

http://www.2fm.ie/colmhayes

They call it a mini-cyclone !

Iancar29

Hal1 wrote: »

Any mention from 2fm's site or the name of the journalist that interviewed the woman? If anyone's reg'd with netweather maybe they can post a high res radar of the area or add any more info on it.

I can grab that later when i home

Tornando9

Here ya go.

snowstreams

http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2011/pc/pod-v-22061109m46scolmhayes-pid0-586848.mp3

Thats the link. Sounds like she hasnt reported it to Met eireann anyway or anyone else apart from her insurance company and the 2fm!

Su Campu

There was a funnel cloud over Co. Galway yesterday too.

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/storms/funnel-cloud-spotted-over-county-galway-21-june-2011/21045.html

We're having a good time of it this month, convection-wise anyway!

gbee

That radio interview sure sounds like an EF1.

But what's so special about Portlaoise that a Tornado should NOT be there, what's that presenter's name again?

It's alright for a tornado to take a barn apart in the North but Portlaoise, it shouldn't happen [idiot]. :rolleyes:

Iancar29

I Knew there was some hook echos on the radar yesterday!, i was in the cinema though during that time ...

Sounds like a strong EF-0 / weak EF-1 indeed.

Hopefully the kid will grow up to be mad into the weather now! ha

nacho libre

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/storms/funnel-cloud-spotted-over-county-galway-21-june-2011/21045.html

just looking at the last picture there, if that image qualifies as a funnel cloud, then i've seen these features quite often without actually realising it!

Tornando9

Photographed about 6 funnels last year. Haven't had as much time this year to go hunting them.

Here's a few of mine.












Small timelapse of above funnel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDlzTgg17aU&feature=player_embedded

Hope you enjoy.

fizzycyst

gbee wrote: »

That radio interview sure sounds like an EF1.

But what's so special about Portlaoise that a Tornado should NOT be there, what's that presenter's name again?

It's alright for a tornado to take a barn apart in the North but Portlaoise, it shouldn't happen [idiot]. :rolleyes:

And he kept calling it a cyclone, what's that about??

Iancar29

fizzycyst wrote: »

And he kept calling it a cyclone, what's that about??

Cyclone is probably is another word for a tornado... just not used as much.

fizzycyst

Iancar29 wrote: »

Cyclone is probably is another word for a tornado... just not used as much.

Ah right, I thought it was what a hurricane was called in the southern hemisphere.

Iancar29

fizzycyst wrote: »

Ah right, I thought it was what a hurricane was called in the southern hemisphere.

Yep... ur right

FROM WIKI
"A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone[1], although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a narrower sense, only to name hurricanes or typhoons. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust."

fizzycyst

Iancar29 wrote: »

Yep... ur right

FROM WIKI
"A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone[1], although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a narrower sense, only to name hurricanes or typhoons. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust."

Ah, I never actually heard a tornado being called a cyclone, I guess it's a word that's kinda bandyed about a bit, thanks for the info:)

gbee

fizzycyst wrote: »

Ah, I never actually heard a tornado being called a cyclone, I guess it's a word that's kinda bandyed about a bit, thanks for the info:)

It's a more generic term really, it just suggests the rotation, cyclone, anticyclone as in H or L pressure. And I think it was more adopted to suggest a hurricane in the southern hemisphere for two reasons, it'd be the opposite for us as an anticyclone usually bring us bad weather, in the southern half it would be the cyclone.

Add to that, a cyclonic storm in the south would generate to violent storm force or hurricane far more often than in the north. Thus the association, [IMO and naturally subject to correction.]

WolfeIRE

Another funnel cloud in Meath on Wednesday
http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/storms/funnel-cloud-sighted-near-dunshaughlin-meath-22-june-2011/21143.html

h57xiucj2z946q

Thought I saw one forming in Athlone just there now.

Iancar29

Wyatt Warm Pet wrote: »

Thought I was one forming on Athlone just there now.

Ur there now?.. Heres the radar shot for the area, looks plausable, and it only stayed for one scan meaning , its rotating a bit ...



Good spot!

h57xiucj2z946q

I was driving from my house back to work, so couldn't take a pic. It might just have been the shape of the cloud either. The cloud was really dark and low, as opposed to the other cloud formations in the sky which where light and high up.

mickger844posts

There was lots of potential Funnel action in the suburbs of Waterford City today with huge black clouds very close to the horizon. This pic i took was the closest to a funnel i could see but its more like a scud cloud. It was trying hard to generate but just couldn't get there. Was fun watching though