Tornado terror hits Britain: Crazy weather sends storage workers flying and ominous funnel clouds form overhead as nation is battered by thunderstorms, lightning strikes and even freak hailstone flurries
- CCTV showed the ‘frightening’ moment workers battle with flying furniture
- Funnel clouds, which can form tornados, have also been spotted across the UK
Crazy weather has sent storage workers flying and ominous funnel clouds have formed over Britain as the nation is battered by thunderstorms, lightning strikes and freak hailstone flurries.
Shocking CCTV footage showed the ‘frightening’ moment two storage workers battled with devastating winds as they are blown across their work yard while trying to dodge flying pieces of furniture.
The clip, which was shot in Horham, Suffolk, showed Filing Fortress manager, Stuart McBurney, 42, fall to his knees and desperately cling to the ground in an attempt to reach safety.
The other heroically clung to large pieces of furniture in a bid to stop them from crashing into his colleague.
Mr McBurney said: ‘It cut around in a circle and came right across my yard. We were loading up one of our customer’s furniture and we had it on the lorry and the other guy said “it’s starting to get a bit windy”.
Stuart McBurney, 42, battled with the strong winds as he tried to dodge flying furniture at his work in Suffolk
The clip, which was shot in Horham, Suffolk, showed Filing Fortress manager, Stuart McBurney, 42, fall to his knees and desperately cling to the ground in an attempt to reach safety
The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for much of the UK as heavy rain moves in today
‘There was sand blowing up in our faces. I jumped off the lorry and we got inside.
What are funnel clouds?
A funnel cloud is a cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface.
They are formed in the same way as a tornado building around this localised area of intensely low pressure and are typically associated with the formation of cumulonimbus thunderclouds.
The difference between a tornado and a funnel cloud is that they do not reach the earth’s surface. At the point it reaches land it is then considered a tornado.
In a typical year, the UK sees around 30-35 tornadoes.
Source: Met Office
‘There was a fair bit of damage. A few quid’s worth of damage. Damage to a car. It was frightening at the time. I cut my knee but that was it.
‘Two mattresses blew over a fence that’s 8ft. They have disappeared.’
In other parts of the nation, other dismayed Britons have taken to social media to share ominous videos of funnel clouds forming over their homes in south Lincolnshire.
While Brits may be fascinated by the cloud formations they can cause sever damage and disruption.
If a funnel cloud hits the ground, it turns into a tornado which can lead to very strong winds and reap through communities causing mass destruction.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather thunderstorm alert for much of the UK, warning that driving conditions will likely be affected by spray, standing water or hail, leading to longer journey times.
There may also be damage to buildings from lightning strikes, forecasters say, while it is ‘likely’ that some homes and businesses will be affected by flooding and suffer power cuts.
The Welsh village of Pontllanfraith, near Caerphilly, was hit by a freak storm this morning that saw giant hailstones pelt down from the sky.
The local pub, called The Bird in Hand, was forced to close by the force of the storm after it lost power – and the large hail stones stacked up outside the building to create a barricade to make it impossible to open the front door.
Staff then had to battle water as the pub became flooded in the storm.
In other parts of the nation, other dismayed Britons have shared ominous pictures of funnel clouds forming over their homes in south Lincolnshire
If a funnel cloud hits the ground, it turns into a tornado which can lead to very strong winds and reap through communities causing mass destruction
A man, woman and child seek shelter from a heavy rain shower in a park in Terenure, Dublin
People shelter beneath umbrellas as they walk in the rain through Westminster, central London
Thunder and hail are battling Britain today as a series of freak storms pose risks of lightning strikes, power cuts and travel disruptions. Pictured: Hail in the Welsh village of Pontllanfraith, near Caerphilly today
Pictured: Flooding in North Cadbury, Somerset today. There may also be damage to buildings from lightning strikes, while it is ‘likely’ that some homes and businesses will be affected by flooding and suffer power cuts
Villager Rhys Leyshon, 42, said: ‘You never seen anything like it. The hailstones were the size of marbles – it is really mad May weather.’
The pub’s management said the venue would have to remain closed ‘whilst we assess the situation and try make it as safe as possible’.
‘At the moment we are without hot water, heating, fridges and much needed cellar equipment as all have been damaged,’ they said. ‘This is alongside all our flooring and furniture.’
Landlords Sally and Martyn Everson took to social media to praise regulars and locals for helping out. They thanked people for helping them dry out the bar.
The pair said: ‘Thanks to everyone who brought us towels down we are so grateful. We truly feel so supported and loved by our community.’
But Britons can look forward to some respite from the miserable weather this weekend, with conditions set to turn drier and warmer from Saturday with 20C (68F) highs expected in the South and 18C (64F) in the North on what will be a sunny day.
It will be warmer in England on Saturday than Madrid (19C), Ibiza (19C) and Nice (18C).
Forecasters said a ridge of high pressure will bring the drier weather and it will turn warmer into the weekend following a slight dip in temperatures this week.
The Bird in Hand pub was forced to close by the force of the storm after it lost power – and the large hail stones stacked up outside the building to create a barricade to make it impossible to open the front door
The Bird in Hand staff then had to battle water as the pub became flooded in the storm
The Environment Agency has flood alerts in place today mostly across southern England
Highs of 20C are expected in the South and 18C in the North on what will be a sunny Saturday
Two women work to clear up following floods at Newton Poppleford in Devon yesterday
Hilary Pinfold clears up yesterday after her home in Newton Poppleford was hit by floods
People clear the roads in the Devon village of Tipton St John yesterday after the flooding
Tonight will have a clear and dry start for the Midlands, South West England and Wales, but it will be overcast for northern areas.
Throughout the night, the band of cloud will move south-westwards, although no significant showers are expected.
It will then be mostly dry but dull tomorrow with cloudy skies and some drizzle.
Outbreaks of rain will spread from eastern areas into the South East, but will reduce in intensity throughout the day.
Saturday then looks like it will be dry, as cloud becomes increasingly sparse throughout the day, although moderate winds are forecast in southern areas.
Sunday will be similar as it stays mostly dry, with only isolated pockets of cloud in the daytime, although cloud cover will increase into the evening.
It comes after flash flooding following heavy thunderstorms on Tuesday evening saw a major incident declared by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service in the Galhampton, North Cadbury, and South Cadbury areas.
Firefighters said they deployed several resources to the areas of Somerset to deal with the flooding, which was resolved by the early hours of yesterday.
By the afternoon, Travel Somerset said its teams were helping out with the clear-up operation and assessing road damage after ‘an unprecedented flash flood event … with around 88mm of rain falling in just two hours’.
Vehicles make their way along flooded country lanes at Dunsden in Oxfordshire this morning
A dog walker wades through the muddy country paths in the woods at Dunsden this morning
Vehicles make their way along flooded country lanes at Dunsden in Oxfordshire this morning
It sent teams to the Milverton region and further north after Tuesday’s ‘significant flooding to the highway’. Flooding of the A359 at Queen Camel made it impassable.
Travel Somerset said its specialists will need to wait until today for water levels to drop to make further assessments.
The Environment Agency told motorists not to try to drive through flood water, saying ‘enough water to fill an egg cup can ruin your engine, leaving you stranded in water and in need of rescue from emergency services’.
Basingstoke was battered by hailstorms – with one resident describing his worry over the storm damaging his car – while Somerset experienced a ‘different scale’ of rain.
A Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms was also in place for yesterday, as parts of the UK faced more heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail.
The UK’s warmest day of the year so far was Monday, when Helens Bay in Northern Ireland got to 21.6C (70.1F).
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