[ad_1]
People on social media are tweeting about a tornado in Barking today. Sky News’ Kiran Bhangal tweeted: “Just experienced a tornado in Barking east London. Dozens of cars and homes damaged. Police and fire crews on the scene. Very scary indeed.”
Barking and Dagenham Police confirmed they had responded to “weather related incident”, but did not confirm that it was a tornado.
The police force said on Twitter: “Police were called at around 1920hrs to reports of damage caused to roofs, electrical equipment, street furniture and vehicles in Hulse Avenue and some surrounding roads in the #Barking area. This is a weather related incident, during which there was a lightning strike…
“In addition to the lightning strike, we have seen reports of a tornado but cannot confirm this. There are no reports of any casualties.
“Officers are liaising with the local authority to ensure support is available to anyone affected by damage to property.”
Reports of a tornado come as the Met Office has issued several warnings for severe weather on Friday.
Parts of London and Essex have been placed under a yellow thunderstorm warning until 11pm on Friday night.
The Met Office warning reads: “Slow-moving thunderstorms are producing very heavy rain, lightning and hail across northeast Greater London, south Essex and far north Kent.
“Whilst heavy rainfall is quite localised, some places may see 30-40 mm of rainfall in an hour with hail and lightning additional hazards. This thunderstorm is expected to weaken later this evening.”
A Met Office yellow rain warning has also been issued for parts of the West Midlands until 11pm on Friday.
The Met Office warning states: “Slow-moving heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms continue across the West Midlands.
“Whilst not all places will see heavy rainfall, some locations are likely to receive 20-30 mm in an hour and 40-50 mm in 2-3 hours this evening.
“Heavy showers and thunderstorms are then expected to slowly weaken late evening.”
These conditions often prove optimum for the development of major tornadoes, which can inflict serious damage.
But according to the Met Office, tornadoes are not exclusive to North America as they can also occur in the UK every year.
The Met Office website explains: “Around 30 tornadoes a year are reported in the UK.
“These are typically small and short-lived, but can cause structural damage if they pass over built-up areas.”
[ad_2]
