Damaging tornado hits Greater Manchester and Cheshire, U.K.

A small tornado swept through parts of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, the United Kingdom at about 17:00 local time on July 19, 2019. 

The tornado swept across Mobberley, Altrincham and Hale, near Manchester airport, damaging cars and buildings. Power outages were reported in Mobberley.

One of the eyewitnesses said it was 'seemingly a five minute torrent of madness.'

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst of the UK Met Office said the ingredients for a tornado were unstable air through stormy conditions and wind shear, where air travels in different directions at different heights in the atmosphere. "Those ingredients were there at the right time across the Manchester area," he added.

Greater Manchester received about 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) of rain in 1 hour, more than it saw in the first 18 days of July, causing flash floods in some areas.

One of UK's strongest tornadoes hit Birmingham in 2005, uprooting about 1 000 trees, damaging buildings, overturning cars and injuring 19 people.

Featured image: Dan Teasdale