Visible aftermath of big tornado

Sir, — Thank you for publishing the article about the Satwell Tornado of January 27.

At the time, I promised I would try to get the Standard some pictures of the damage it caused. Unfortunately, poor weather and other factors prevented me doing so until recently.

However, here are some illustrating the severity of damage caused by this tornado.

From such damage, tornado intensity is now rated as 1.0 to 2.5, perhaps locally 3.0, on the International Fujita Scale of 0 to 5.0, with IF 5.0 being an extremely violent and devastating tornado.

Windspeeds within the most intense parts of the vortex of this tornado are estimated to have locally reached 155mph.

My research has now shown that this event, which I am now calling the South Chilterns Tornado, was a much more significant event than initially thought.

Fieldwork has shows that the tornado formed around 8am as a narrow vortex less than c.100m in diameter not far south-west of Collins End, near Goring Heath. It then tracked north-eastwards, increasing in diameter, producing a broadening zone of damage, towards Kidmore End.

North-east of Kidmore End the vortex became over 1km in diameter and tracked across Satwell at around 8.30am, then towards Lower Assendon. It eventually dissipated to north-west of Henley. A total distance of 11.5km.

This makes its track one of the longest known for a tornado across inland southern England.

If anyone else has information (photographs, CCTV or dashcam footage or an eyewitness account etc) please contact me by email at contact@nicholasverge.com

I would be very grateful and would very much like to hear from them. — Yours faithfully,

Nicholas Verge

Chestnut Close, Middle Assendon