Moment ‘tornado’ hits Jersey as roofs are lifted into the sky and 104mph gales leave behind trail of destruction
This is the shocking moment a tornado hits Jersey, causing roofs to be dramatically lifted off houses and carried away in 104mph gusts.
The hurricane-force winds, brought on by Storm Ciaran, has left behind a trail of destruction on the Channel Island with many homes having their windows smashed through, tiles flung off buildings and garden furniture turned upside down.
Dozens of islanders were forced to take refugee in hotels and community centres when the tornado rampaged through their homes in the early hours of this morning.
Terrifying footage taken during the night shows the sky lit up with lightening as roofs in the distance get chucked into the air along with other debris as heavy rain continues to pour down.
Later videos show the damage done to the area, with piles of wood from fences littered over an athletics track, while rooves in the distance appear to be missing tiles.
Terrifying footage taken during the night shows the sky lit up with lightening was roofs in the distance get chucked into the air along with other debris as Storm Ciaran hit Jersey
The destruction from the tornado in Jersey left fences smashed to pieces with roof tiles falling off some homes
Trees are uprooted in St Helier today after winds reaching 100mph tore through Jersey
Wooden fences are left lying horizontal on the floor while metal fencing has been bent diagonally.
The UK’s third named storm of the season has caused complete chaos today, with thousands of homes loosing power and schools closing.
While the Met Office’s amber weather warnings have now ended, yellow warnings for wind and rain remain in place for southern England and Wales until midnight tomorrow.
The Environment Agency imposed 79 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 195 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, across England this afternoon.
States of Jersey Police said 35 people were moved to hotel accommodation overnight, with three taken to hospital after damage to their homes.
Officers said four further people had been moved to other accommodation and Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said gusts had reached up to 104mph.
One woman said: ‘The hailstones were quite a bit heavier and bigger than a golf ball and we’ve had three windows damaged by them – in my daughter’s bedroom, a landing and a bathroom. ‘It was quite worrying, especially for the kids – they were quite anxious about it.’
JERSEY: Lightning at St Aubin’s Bay last night, as the Channel Islands bear the brunt
JERSEY: The Channel Islands are facing the brunt of Storm Ciaran with 35 people on Jersey being evacuated from the homes and moved to emergency accommodation overnight
JERSEY: The Grand Hotel in St Helier is damaged in the storm today, with the side ripped away
JERSEY: The island was battered with three-inch hailstones in the early hours of this morning
The Met Office said Jersey Airport had seen wind gusts of up to 93mph this morning, with Langdon Bay in Kent recording 71mph, and Cardinham in Cornwall seeing 68mph gusts.
Devastating scenes of destruction were seen across the Channel Islands, with all flights from Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney airports cancelled today.
Cornwall Council said nearly 10,000 homes in the county were without power, adding that strong winds and large waves will make coastlines particularly dangerous.
The Cornwall councillor in charge of environment and public protection, Martyn Alvey, said the storm had led to a ‘significant event’ in the region that had left its highways teams dealing with about 180 reports of fallen trees, debris and blocked drains.
He said: ‘The two biggest challenges have been outages and debris causing road blockage – and at one point there were over 10,000 properties that were out of power and now, as it approached lunchtime, we are down to about 6,500.
‘We are working with National Grid to help some vulnerable residents who might be impacted as it is forecast that some of them will not have their power restored until the morning.’
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