2014 Greater London, England Tornado

**2014 Greater London, England Tornado**

The ***2014 Greater London Tornado*** was the most destructive tornado in Europe, packing a punch of 300+ mph wind speeds and causing well over £13.3 billion pound sterling or $16.4 billion USD (as of August 2014), right now at 2019, that is 14.1 billion USD or £11.2 pound sterling. The tornado touched down at 0612 BST and would then take a vague northwest path throughout Kent, Greater London and etc, carving a 121 mile path through southeastern England. The entire vicinity would take from several years to recover. The tornado was also obscenely huge, topping at a radius of 3.19 miles

## Before

### Meteorological Synopsis / Preceding Severe Weather

16 hours before touchdown, a high risk area was issued in southern areas of Greater London, parts of slough and Northwestern Kent, due to the unstable and volatile atmosphere above the area, and a hot and cold front smashing to the area, leading to an occlusion in the West Midlands. The dew point was less than 80F and with temperatures around reaching a maximum of 86F, which would play a massive role in forming thunderstorms. Cold air from the north would also help some development in the Northern areas of UK and Scotland, as waves of thunderstorms would develop in Scotland. One supercell located near Glasgow would spawn a EF3 tornado on the east, damaging some brick houses and structures but with a stadium also being damaged, after a direct hit. The EF3 had windspeeds of 157 mph winds, had a peak width of around 800 yards and injuring 32, but killing none.

 Yellow1-3
Funnel spotted
 Orange/Amber4-6
Funnel lowering further
 Red6-9
Funnel touchdown
 Black9-12
EF3 or above
Winds up to 80+ knots

10 hours before touchdown at 2028 BST, severe thunderstorms and supercells would begin to form in the West Midlands and areas near Luton. One severe thunderstorm located in the West Midlands would spawn the most ancestors as it grew in size rapidly, with tornado genesis yet to start. At dark, several funnels in the eastern supercell 90 miles northwest from London would be reported, mostly dropping weak or significant tornadoes. One was so rainwrapped that apparently to storm chasers, "It never looked like a tornado; it's just a small rain shaft." - Team GB Convoy, before heading for sleep. This rainwrapped tornado was confirmed to be an EF1 status despite having low-end EF3 winds, not enough evidence for EF3 damage by the met office in Miilton Keynes, just 35 miles northwest of the M25. Mobile radar recorded 139 mph maximum winds along with a path width of an average 310 metres or 339 yards. This was a rain-wrapped multi-vortex. Not so long after that, the supercell that would spawn this EF5 tornado was formed after forming a wave of thunderstorms and supercells capable of tornadoes in northern France.

 File:Tornadic scouring.png  Just 10-20 minutes before touchdown at 0601 BST, a rapidly developing mesocyclone was spotted 4 miles southwest of Ashford in Kent. Small fragments of mud and dust were kicked up as the funnel became apparent. The wall cloud was under The wall cloud was "obscenely huge", which would later foreshadow that this developing mesocyclone will drop the widest tornado ever recorded in history. The RFD wrapped around the mesocyclone would blow winds up to 90 mph, again, obscenely very windy. Extensive damage was caused by the RFD, blowing debris towards cars and houses, causing either minor or major injuries. As the mesocyclone moves north, several sporadic funnels begin circling the barycenter of the system, with windspeeds up to 100 mph. As the funnels tighten and widen, a tornado warning was issued for parts of Kent and Greater London. Trees were uprooted in several roads, as the tornado producing region would lower. The funnel was also photogenic, though large for small cameras. S***ince 2013, people are and have been anxious of another devastating EF5 and were building storm shelters every half a mile just in case.*** ***Nobody wants a third EF5 crashing into their homes, do they?*** 7 pedestrians would be killed from debris and windspeeds. 1 mile northwest of Ashford, the circulation would finally touch down in an series of several suction vortices, tailgating many vehicles in smaller roads.

 File:London 2012 Tornado Path.png
## Touchdown

Brick houses were levelled as the multi-vortex tornado moves into the community of hothfield, near the M20. The damaging wind field would begin throwing debris into the M20, causing no more than several fatal injuries from debris ricocheting into cars. A british storm chaser fleet called **Cyclone Chasers** positioned northwest of the tornado would begin moving east, performing a hook slice to record the tornado from afar. As the tornado strengthens to an EF3 (already!), the tornado would move into the area of maidstone, impacting the town in the eastern areas. Many brick houses would be levelled within the now mile wide circulation, killing over 12. In the M20, several gantries were thrown into surburbian areas causing extra fatalities. The GPS would confirm over 100 storm chasers within an 5 mile diameter in the tornado, making it the most attended-by tornado in history. Within 30 seconds of EF3 status, a PDS tornado warning was issued for Southern areas of Greater London, causing a mass influx of traffic in the M25, M1, M20 and the M3. Now exiting the maidstone area, the tornado would take 10 seconds to cross the M20, blocking the southeastern escape route and forcing thousands of people, if not tens of thousands into the M25, causing congestions. Many vehicles including a bus, several trucks and sedans were thrown and mangled beyond recognition. Mobile radar confirmed windspeeds of 146 mph and a width of 0.3 miles, so this tornado ain't gonna weaken that much now. A code red7 was issued for the following country, urging citizens to flee the area.

## Intensifying

The tornado would cause devastating damage in the M20 as it grew in size and strength, reaching windspeeds of 150 mph. As the tornado tightens and shrinks slightly, the parish of Leybourne would be struck, sustaining windspeeds of 168 mph. Over 100 homes would be levelled, sustaining low-end EF4 damage. The Avicenna Medical centew along with a restaurant, a village mall and a grocery store would be flattened within bare seconds. 9 fatalities occured within the area. As the tornado widens after a brief shrink, the tornado would soon move into rural areas briefly, with the

   inflow strengthening. Another group/convoy called **Team GB Chasers** would begin intercepting 3 miles to the northwest of the tornado. They recorded nearly 175 mph windspeeds and a width of 0.9 miles, and a very unfixed tornadic wind field. As the tornado approaches the small community of Snodland, several cottages would be devastated in the circulation. No fatalities and one injury was caused. Over the next 5 minutes, the tornado would impact the parish of Fawkham Green, 5 miles east of the M20. A red weather warning was issued for areas near Greater London, only to adjust later to urban areas. At that moment, a wedding venue is engulfed by the circulation with 52 people cramped into 5 interior bathrooms. One report from a person in the wedding venue reported "It was extremely chaotic inside. I'm glad to be alive..." The five interior bathrooms along with the foundation would be the only structures standing. Nobody died, but mobile sound trackers recorded 173 decibles within 10 foot of the circulation and 186 decibels inside of the circulation **(~~wow that was very quiet causing no injuries)~~**

 File:5-31-2013 El Reno tornado.png
## Fear

As the tornado moved off the wedding venue, 23 people suffered from concussions due to tornado noise. No fatalities occured within the bathrooms nor the building. Several cars were tossed 1000 metres away, only later to be found mangled. As the tornado continues to widen and strengthen heading west, one farm near the parish of New Ash Green. Several satelite tornadoes would circle around the parent circulation, with widths of a baseball field and windspeeds over 200 mph, now gaining an EF5 windspeed status, immediately shocking the community of Southern London and the whole country never expecting another EF5. The farm was obliterated, withh the foundation remaining along with a mangled freight train found near the M25. 4 corpses were seen dead, along with graphic imagery which we can't show the viewer. \_/('.')\\_

    As the tornado travelled east, the wind shear would soar, with mobile radar measured windspeeds of 220 mph and a width of 1.7 miles and still widening. The Met Office would then raise the warning to a Code Black10 since the tornado was definitely hurling towards a big population centre. At 0729 BST, the tornado circulation was now less than 3 miles east away from the M25, triggering a red weather warning, or a PDS tornado warning for the entire Southern London area. This led to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from Bromely, Croydon, Sutton, Areas near Epsom and Weybridge. Most of them would evacuate west or north as the core enroached on the south, meaning heavy rain and hail. A very small percentage evacuated the east to have a sight of the tornado. The amount of people evauctaed caused congestions in the M25 and other motorways. Worse, many people are now stuck in a PDS-warned area and in a tornado's path, this would signal a turning point for the citizens of London, while others held out for hope that the tornado turned away, many would later die as a result of debris, windspeeds and for those who endured it almost never had a chance to live further. With the chance of a near miss or even no impact ruled out, the only thing they can do now is flee. As the circulation develops it's first few satelite tornadoes, the inflow jet becomes apparent, also producing damage elsewhere, including steel frames which later was obliterated inside the circulation and then turned into sub-sonic missiles which then impacted a powerline. Only moments away from the M25 in 0730 BST, a single-family house is annhiliated by the 250 mph and increasing rapidly winds accompanied by a massive pressure drop of 831 mbar, the lowest pressure drop ever. No fatalities occured as all people within the house went underground. A renault car dealership is also being destroyed within the

 File:Dallas.png  now two mile wide circulation, with a few slabs left. Several grids across Kent were now ruptured, causing mass blackouts in Kent, the largest powercut since 2003. With the tornado inching only a mile away from the M25, another construction site was impacted by the tornado at 0731 BST, with steel works and many bricks tossed great distances, along with a crane being ripped off from earth then being broken apart and turned into a sub-sonic missile ***AGAIN,*** tossed over a mile before landing in a previously destroyed farm. At this point, around 59 fatalities have already been made despite travelling in non-built up areas, along with a tally of £586 million pound sterling or 731 million dollars. Most of the damage will later happen to built up areas of London. As the tornado accelerates slightly stronger, the damaging windfield is now entering the M25, with damaging windspeeds of 120 mph. Many people are now in peril, especially people who did not evacuate, or is stuck in the motorway.

## Unfolding

 File:Wynnewood EF5.jpg   File:Two Tornado Vortex Signatures on Radar.jpg  As the tornado's outer base reaches the M25, many cars would endure the damaging windspeeds as they try to escape before they get engulfed. At this moment a convoy of the Team GB storm chaser fleet is now stationed 900 yards away from the circulation, measuring a windspeed increase of 28 mph in a minute and 200 yards of width added to the tornado every minute, at an alarming rate. The damaging wind field 100 yards away from the tornado peaked at 160 mph, similar to

 File:Large-wall-cloud-with-tornado-passing-northwest-of-downtown-Birmingham-AP-Photo.jpeg  a category 5 hurricane, measured by a probe stationed within the base of the tornado. The probe was later thrown over a mile into a field, where the Team GB convoy spotted. The Weather Broadcast service has decided to initiate warning sirens in the South to activate, setting the scene for an actual glimpse on US cities being impacted by violent tornado. As the inflow reaches the M25, many cars are tossed in the scene and mangled beyond recognition. 29 deaths occured on the M25, along with 126 injuries, 31 of which were fatal and 3 later announced dead on the the hospital. The busiest road in the UK was halted, causing traffic chaos elsewhere, with congestions locking the motorway for hours with a hundred thousand panicked people which caused the worst traffic jam in UK history, with over 94 hours of disruption afterwards followed by a 57 mile congestion the day after the tornado struck the motorway. The tornado would take 38 devastating seconds to cross as the circulation bears closer to the built-up areas. A code black12 directive was issued for the path, the first code black12 ever in UK history. The Cyclone Chasers would be centered on the A20, 2.5 miles away from the circulation currently surveying the tornado from afar. At this moment, a golf course is currently being battered inside the circulation, killing 4 in one building. The main building was swept away by over 250 mph force winds, with sub-vortices inside the circulation near the eye destroying remains of the building, with the foundation the only thing left. Hundreds of golf balls and clubs were thrown into the air by miles, impaccting several structures such as glass, ~~***people***~~, cars and roofs. One death was caused by a club impacting a head at 120 mph, which... nevermind this is gonna be gross. He died at hospital several hours later for has injuries. The tornado would now begin exiting the M25, as the center of the circulation moves away, many trees would be thrown apart and land in some places a mile away. One hailstone was found to be over 9.5 inches in diameter inside a car, weighing 2.3 pounds or just over 1 kilo. One death occured with this hailstone, after landing on a person's ***CENSOREDCENSORED***. She would die later in the hospital. After just a minute, the tornado would leave the motorway, with severe road scouring and many debris. Many cars are left mangled and many people lay dead after being thrown from their vehicles, including one convoy of the cyclone chasers who got caught in the circulaton. Two people would die immediately, with one dieing later and four who survived. Dr. Harrison Jacobs was one of the four people who miraculously survived, but having severe injuries. Suprisingly, it turned out that their vehicle was only rolled VIOLENTLY, not thrown

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Aug. 23, 2014 - 0732 AM - LOG BEGIN

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Dr. Harrison Jacobs - We're reporting high gusts even in the motorway, there might be a possible satelite tornado nearby - we can't even see here!

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Michael Franklin - Look there, it looks like it wants to splint into two!

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John Farah - I doubt it, the condensation funnel there dosen't look like two funnels splitting at all!

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Michael Franklin - You'll see in a minute. Why is the inflow here getting stronger then?

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Dr. Harrison Jacobs - Come on, you two. Stop arguing and just focu- wait, traction?!

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John Farah - Why did you even take the motorway?! I ASKED YOU TO AVOID IT BILLIONS OF TIMES!

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Dr. Harrison Jacobs - THE- Are you kidding me. IT'S ALREADY RIGHT THERE! I AM SO DUMB I CAN'T EVEN NAVIGATE PROPERLY! BRACE!

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Dr. James Smith - The GUSTS! DO YOU REALIZE WE ARE LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO THE TRONADO!

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John Farah - Yeah, he is a really du- wait... HARRISON! WRONG TURN! DO YOU REALIZE TH-

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Michael Franklin - WE'RE GONNNA DIE! TURN LEFT TURN LEFT!

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Dr. Harrison Jacobs - G*D! THE TRACTION IS FR***ING ON! WE CAN'T LET IT GO, JUST BRACE!

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John Farah - WE'RE CURRENTLY STUCK IN THE SLIP ROAD AT JUNCTION 3 NORTHBOUND! ANY OTHER STORM CHASERS DOWN THERE SHOULD ST- ARRGHH!! NO! NO!! AAAAHCC- (CAR BEING ROLLED VIOLENTLY, VIOLENT WINDS FOLLOW)

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COMMUNICATIONS DIAL INTERRUPTED ; LOG ENDS 0734. AUG. 23 2014

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Another terrible fate for a storm chaser since the El Reno tornado in 2013. An oil tanker would be found burning, and one dominator vehicle was mangled along the highway. This showed a clear sign that there was no turning back, after series of events. The northern escape route for the families in the tornado trajectory was destroyed, and the only choice left for them was to flee east along with the harsh rain. This would foreshadow why there were so many deaths, leaving a permanent mark on the Greater London community. As the tornado moves away completely

 File:Mile Wide (1).jpg  part of the motorway structuring was destroyed. The NHS called the EMT to move into the road once the circulation and the RFD is completely clear from it. The total death toll of the motorway impact was confirmed to be well over 800+ mostly from debris, etc. The destruction though does not end here, with the circluation now heading towards the suburb of Orpington, but by now, almost everyone has evacuated or currently is in tornado shelters. Ground scouring was severe elsewhere, with a mile wide trail or over. Debris wou lay lying over the trail, several mangled cars and some structures were thrown into the trail. The tornado has now moved completely moved off the motorway, with the RFD causing extensive damage to trees, houses and other structures. The impact would leave another permanent mark on the motorway, London and the entire UK. A small hotel would be swept away within the inflow jet, sustaining winds up to 275 mph and severely obliterating the strucutre, with only slabs and the foundation left. One piece of the debris was thrown over 2 miles into an empty field just south of the hotel. The pressure drop was getting phenomenally low, with one probe meausring another drop, a 170 mbar drop, and still decreasing. At 0736 BST, the tornado itself would officially enter the Greater London boundary, 1 hour and 24 minutes after touchdown. Within the inflow, 50 cottages are currently being swept away, with many debris being produced. 12 deaths would occur at this moment of time, with as many as 100 currently underground. The "roar" of the tornado was even heard a lengthy three miles. The Team GB convoy would find the cyclone chasers's dominator on the side of a country road, which 3 people were found dead, and one was found 300 yards away to the area. One of the Team GB dominator found themselves in the RFD, even the most experienced chasers in the world were getting pounded. They were only just 1.3 miles away from the circulation. They were pounded by 101 mph winds inside the RFD, with big hail and high

    precipitation rates. This would be the most intense RFD a storm has ever produced, with trees severely uprooted, doors jack-knifed and even some small vehicles were overturned, including several motorbikes and with scooters thrown around violent, one managing to damage a gutter after being thrown at 130 mph, closer to the circulaton though. As the tornado (itself) increases forward speed and heads directly towards the town of Orpington, several satelite tornadoes would be seen orbiting the parent circulation, with sizes ranging from a standard basketball-court to an entire american football field. Mobile radar confirmed more than 300 mph in these satelite tornadoes outnumbering the parent circulation's 289. Several warehouses along with greenbelt would be swept away and dismantled. 14 people are now currently cramped into a single small basement 3 meters below the surface. With the tornado inside Greater London, many houses and buildings are now within the 2-mile radius of the tornado. Several mobile homes in the area would be obliterated and torn apart severely, with one occupant dieing after a chimney landing on his head. Many powerlines would be torn and thrown into structures, alongside with machinery. Currently, a retail park is currently on

 File:Possible Rain-Wrapped Wedge.jpg  the outer parts of the circulation and is currently having extensive damage from the RFD, which adapted winds up to a category 2 hurricane, which caused shingles to be torn off and some damage to houses. Most of the storm chasers currently intercepting the tornado are now stationed in the A21, close to the RFD. The second vortex, seen in the M25 would now merge with the tornado, making the tornado bigger and ferocious adding a 600 yard size boost, and strengthening the tornado and the suction vortices orbiting around it. A greenhouse, which got caught up in the middle of the circulation but inbetween the two main vortices would be destroyed as the vortex merges. The debris ball on radar would be large, with the debris cloud targetting many buildings close to it, adding to the damage. The Inflow Jet would reach the surburbian area of Orpington, producing up to almost 200 mph winds, many structures would be swept away as it enters the inner-parts of the debris cloud. One induvidial mesocyclone near the main circulation would orbit the parent circulation, producing extra damage as the satelite tornado touches down, ripping entire roofs off many houses in its path. Several hundred of roof structues 4 by 6's would whirl around the parent circulation once before being thrown 2 miles away. Looking back into the convoy 1 remains, four people were found in the mesonet while one person was found in a field. A nearby mobile radar would record now 291 mph winds inside the condensation funnel and still strengthening. The

 File:Ellis CO, OK Tornado (2007) - (Close).jpg  outer RFD base would exit the M25, as the tornado moves into the built-up area. Oblivious to a Team GB convoy, a satelite tornado would manage to land on their car, with winds screaming at them at over 120 mph. The TIV though, would have their windshield striked by a piece of metal, creating a large spark. The tornado is now a rainwrapped mess, with the inflow jet now entering Orpington. The RFD would also reach the Orpington Hospital, with windows shattered and trees uprooted. A Renault Kadjar was found epiclly mangled in farm, which was thrown roughly 2000 yards away from the tornado, meanwhile a tractor was found also epiclly mangled, found over a reservoir in Sevenoaks. Many houses and businesses in the area would see their structure being devastated, as the condensation funnel moves even closer, just 150 yards away, well within the debris ball and the debris cloud seen on radar. Many people in Orpington are now in their shelters, well within the outer circulation, while some people have fled east, taking the most risky route available though seeing a clear view of the tornado. Many people in the eastern side of evacuation would remain their positions, taking pictures from afar, while the filming heli remains intact, *following the tornado and keeping at a safe distance while also taking good footage from the tornado. **Slam.***

## Destruction

The circulation now would impact the first village of London, with several hundred houses well within the damaging radius and the debris ball of the tornado. They would meet many debris flying at the structures, destroying some strucutes or causing extensive damage to their outer and inner structure. The first few houses would be swallowed by the condensation funnel, experiencing winds up to 290 mph, with the roof being torn off first and then being partially disintegrated, while furniture in their house would also be thrown and tossed around different directions. The Met Office issued a total evacuation of southern London as the future tornado path would conclude a direct hit of Croydon. Then, the very large tornado suddenly would take a short but abrupt turn towards southern areas of Greenwich. Many apartment buildings, houses and many types of buildings would get literally sucked up then thrown, as gravel in the streets even start to crack. The RFD would reach between the outer perimeters of Croydon, where some trams would experience heavy hail and rain, as people without a vehicle scramble onto the trams, each carriage jam-packed. The tube or the London Underground would be even busier, with southern stations like Morden, Brixton and Wimbledon being so crowded to the point that crowd control became harder, with endless delays happening. **This section onwards will get repetitive, as London was a very big area, so mind me will ya?** People in North London though were safe, not to put it that negatively but they are lucky. The Team GB convoys would oversee large hail throughout Chislehurst and even as far as Lee Green, an area east of Greenwich and in the congested M25 in Sevenoaks, where hail was pretty gritty and many people described it as "pinches of salt pouring over you" as they step outside and get severely soaked in the rain.

 File:Birmingham, England F4 tornado approaches city centre.png   File:May 31st, 2013 El Reno Tornado.jpg  Another sub-vrotice was reported by the Cyclone Chaser convoy 4, they described it as almost a induvidual tornado, as it was orbiting the tornado, in ***THE WRONG DIRECTION!*** They were very curious about it, so much so that they even ignored the readings of the windspeed around them, and took a wrong turn towards the vortice in a one-way road. As they were getting closer to the large vortice, they reversed very rapidly until they got onto the road. They recorded windspeeds of the vortice around 150 mph, and the windspeed around them similar to a category 1 hurricane, many storm chasers even expressed suprisal on such a large windfield and a far-stretched ghost train. By now, over 1 billion in damage has already been made at this tornado, and with the tornado seemingly deemed as more than an EF5 due to the shear damage, as it travelled through very dense urban towns. The RFD would clear out, now giving a perfect and somewhat a photogenic tornado despite the satelite tornadoes distorting the circulation. Then suddenly, the tornado would make an abrupt turn south, immediately catching nearly hundreds of storm chasers offguard, most of them new ones who had seen the shear risk and decided to take the chase for themselves. The more violent satelite tornadoes and sub vortices would tear through Bromely, ravaging hundreds of houses, apartments and shops alike. 20 minutes earlier, they had already closed the London Airspace as it was mostly a high-precipitation supercell, despite the photogenic tornado in the south. Heavy rain and hail was recorded as far as Heathrow Airport, as the core of the storm approached the airport. Many people had a view of the destruction from the Shard Tower, where the superwedge can be seen over 8 miles away. As the tornado moves away from Bromely and into Croydon, the destruction path is endless, with people sitll hidden under the shelters, and with some on Orpington finding their homes fundamentally swept away with only a couple of slabs, with the sky brightening as the cumulonimbus cloud moves away. The Tram Station of Beckenham would then be impacted by the parent circulation, completely obliterating it with now winds exceeding 300 mph, and is just about to reach peak strength and peak width, at a record-breaking 3.15 miles. As if asking for trouble, several storm chaser convoys decided to take a close look of the tornado near the local park, only just moments later, a satelite tornado struck them, rolling into a field. Suprisingly, nobody died in vehicle despite severe injuries, they were positioned at the A234 Road near Berbeck. The tornado now looked like one huge funnel, with several possible satelite tornadoes. The destruction would continue on for a while, with the tornado now ravaging mostly apartments and commerical stores, fortunately most of the people in there are sheltered, but the other people, a majority of them being new chasers are almost all positoned on the dual carriageway of the A232, having a good view of the tornado while surverying it, but since the parent circulation is approaching them very fast, they are new taking their escape route east or west, fast since the tornado has suddenly sped up after turning south, up to 50 mph. Another anticyclonic tornado would drop around 4 miles north of the tornado in West Norwood, impacting some apartments, shops, businesses and a national rail station with minimal to some damage. The wedge down south would still go strong, with a nearby radar station still reporting winds of 300 mph. The tornado would offically enter Thornton Heath, almost decimating the structures in its path, causing suprsingly no deaths but around 20 reported injuries, 3 of them fatal but not fatal enough to cause certain death. Almost all storm chasers, who wanted a clear view of the tornado cramped on helicopters from helis all around South London, many of them broadcasting and many surveying the tornado. They reported an almost symmetrical horseshoe shaped-hook echo, with one aforementioned anti-cyclonic tornado and the huge wedge, which is almost no longer rainwrapped. Hooray!