August 2008 European tornado outbreak
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | August 3–4, 2008 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 13 confirmed |
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~28 1⁄2 hours |
| Damage | Several million Euros |
| Casualties | 3 fatalities (+1 non-tornadic), ≥ 50 injuries |
| Areas affected | France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The August 2008 European tornado outbreak was a widespread severe weather event which spawned thirteen tornadoes in four countries, one of which killed three people in France. This particular tornado reached F4 intensity.[1]
Contents
Meteorological synopsis
On August 3, several areas of low pressure developed. Frontal systems extended from one of the lows, stretching from the Azores to the Germany coastline.
Confirmed tornadoes
| F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
August 3 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, August 3, 2008 | ||||||
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| Germany | ||||||
| F0 | N of Langeneß (1st tornado) | Schleswig-Holstein | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1150 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near the coast of northern Germany. The waterspout dissipated before reaching shore.[2] |
| F1 | N of Langeneß (2nd tornado) | Schleswig-Holstein | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1150 | unknown | The second of two waterspouts near Langeneß developed in the same location as the first but briefly tracked onshore, tossing beach chairs before dissipating.[2] |
| F0 | N of Büsum | Schleswig-Holstein | 1300 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near Büsum.[2] | |
| F0 | N of Norderney | Lower Saxony | 1453 | unknown | A brief waterspout developed near Norderney.[2] | |
| F2 | Goldenstedt area | Lower Saxony | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 2115 | 4 km (2.5 mi) | The strongest tornado to touch down in Germany during the outbreak struck Goldenstedt. Numerous homes were damaged by the tornado and several trees were uprooted.[2] |
| Netherlands | ||||||
| F1 | Oostermeer area | Friesland | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1745 | unknown | A tornado tracked for 25 minutes in Friesland and damaged large areas of trees and tore roofs off of several homes.[3] |
| F2 | Groningen area | Groningen | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1845 | unknown | A strong F2 tornado damaged or destroyed several homes and barns and uprooted numerous trees. The maximum width of the tornado was estimated at 200 metres Dozens of people were reportedly injured by the tornado and damages exceeded €100,000.[3] |
| France | ||||||
| F4 | Hautmont area | Nord | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 2200 | 18.7 km (11.6 mi) | 3 deaths – See section on this tornado |
August 4 event
| List of reported tornadoes - Monday, August 4, 2008 | ||||||
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| Germany | ||||||
| F1 | Deckbergen area | Lower Saxony | 0258 | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) | A 200 to 300 metre wide tornado damaged several residences.[2] | |
| F1 | Birkenau area | Hesse | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 0650 | 330 m (360 yd) | A brief and narrow tornado several homes and tore bricks off of the local firehouse.[2] |
| Poland | ||||||
| F0 | Augustów area | Podlaskie Voivodeship | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1400 | 200 m (220 yd) | A brief rope tornado touched down in Augustów |
| F0 | Świdnik area | Lublin Voivodeship | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1510 | 200 m (220 yd) | A brief rope tornado touched down in Świdnik |
| F2 | Jastkowice area | Subcarpathian Voivodeship | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | 1615 | unknown | |
Hautmont tornado
The tornado initially touched down outside the city of Pont-sur-Sambre, initially causing damage ranging from F0 to F1 in intensity. The tornado then moved through a corn field at 20:28 UTC in the northern part of the town, causing damages to power lines and roofs of buildings. The storm rapidly strengthened immediately after hitting Pont-sur-Sambre, reaching F2-F3 strength just about 2 km from the point of touchdown. At the 20:31 UTC the storm caused serious damage to some rural brick homes, one of which was completely leveled to the ground at F4 (T8) strength, and the other sustaining F2 (T4-T5) damage. With winds in excess of 300 km / h (F4), the tornado reached a forested area, debarking or uprooting all the trees in a radius of 150 m. Then the tornado struck the city of Hautmont, severely damaging or flattening multiple brick homes and structures in town, killing 3 people and injuring 18 others. Multiple cars were picked up and thrown hundreds of meters, some of which were hurled into buildings. All the houses and buildings within a radius of 500m sustaining varying degrees of damage. Small objects from town were also found to tens of kilometers away. At 20:35 the storm arrived in Maubeuge, causing damage of F2 (T4/5) and F1 (T2/T3) strength, destroying a church tower and damaging many other buildings. At 20:40 the tornado began to shrink in size and strength, causing F0 damage to some trees and structures before finally dissipating at 20:42 not far from the border of Belgium.
The tornado remained on the ground for about 14 minutes with a displacement speed of about 40–50 km/h and winds that have exceeded 300 km / h along a total path of 18.7 km, killing 3 people and damaging about 1000 buildings with a width of 150m-200m.
