‘Moderate tornado’ struck East Devon villages on Saturday

There was damage to trees and some properties on the evening of December 30 as strong winds hit the villages of Tipton St John and Venn Ottery.

The owners of a 200-year-old oak tree were left “devastated” when they were told it will need to be removed after a limb crashed down, leaving it unsafe to stay standing, and there were reports of tiles being ripped off houses.

On Sunday, the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) posted on X: “Whilst the maximum intensity is still being assessed, TORRO can confirm based on a site investigation that Venn Ottery & Tipton St John were hit by a tornado yesterday afternoon.”

The organisation has since carried out a further site investigation, which it says revealed the tornado had a maximum intensity of T2 and a track length of around 2km between Venn Ottery and Lancercombe.

T2 refers to its place on the T Scale, which measures the intensity of tornadoes. This means it was classed as a “mild tornado” and had a wind speed of 55 to 72 mph.

When TORRO carries out a site investigation, it attempts to determine what caused the damage (and if it was a tornado or severe straight-line winds).

It then characterises tornadoes to determine their strength, width and track length.

Tree surgeons from Hi-Line the assess damage to the tree in Green Lane, Tipton St John. (Image: Word Forest)

A spokesperson said: “We use various indicators to help us with determining whether it was a tornado that caused damage.

“We look for throw patterns of debris, looking at where it landed. We look for evidence that items were lofted up into the air.

“We look at whether debris has embedded into other objects and the pattern of tree damage. We also talk to witnesses and ask them about what they experienced.

“This has to be done with understanding and care as being involved in a severe weather event is often upsetting. We examine CCTV footage and videos, too.”

Site investigators also traverse the full length of tornadoes' tracks.

The spokesperson added: “Our work helps the understanding of severe weather in the UK and contributes to research in this area.”

Paul Taylor captured this picture of a fallen tree while out on Sunday morning. (Image: Paul Taylor)

The Met Office was unable to say whether a tornado took place when approached by the Sidmouth Herald because it had not seen photographic evidence of a rotating funnel of air touching the ground.

The Exeter-based weather service said the UK sees around 30-35 tornadoes each year, which are usually short-lived and rarely strong enough to cause significant damage.

A spokesperson said: “If a rotating column of air does not reach the ground it is a funnel cloud. At the point a funnel cloud reaches the earth's surface it becomes a tornado, or if it reaches a body of water it becomes a waterspout.

“The UK has the highest frequency of reported tornadoes per unit area in the world, although, they are nowhere near as intense as those reported in the USA and therefore we have no tornado warning system and are unable to track them.”