Storm Isha: Did tornado hit UK last night & how common are they in the UK?

Storm Isha has brought high winds to the UK and left destruction in its path. There were even warnings overnight that tornadoes could hit some areas.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) had issued warnings for tornadoes occurring in areas such as Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland, the Isle of Man and parts of northern England. It would have been a sleepless night for some, with high speed winds picking up throughout the night.

Did a tornado hit UK last night?

While there were tornado warnings overnight during the height of Storm Isha's destruction, there was perhaps one lucky escape for some - there were no recorded tornadoes overnight in the UK.

Despite there being no tornado hitting the UK, most of the country was subjected to brutal winds. In some places, gusts reached up to 99mph.

How common are tornadoes in the UK?

According to the Torro, the UK actually experiences on average around 36.5 tornadoes each year. Most recently, a tornado ripped through Greater Manchester, with 100 properties villages of Carrbrook and Millbrook near Stalybridge forced to evacuate.

However, Torro says the UK average may actually be higher, due to tornadoes only commonly being spotted and reported when there is damage to property. The highest concentration of tornado reports have come from the area stretching from the Wirral in the north-west of England to East Anglia.

Bristol, London, south-east England, north-west England, the West Midlands and the south coast of Wales also see higher-than-average tornado reports. Tornadoes in Northern Ireland and Scotland are much rarer but are not impossible.

The official definition of a tornado from the Met Office is: "A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. They form in very unsettled weather conditions as part of severe thunderstorms."