Tornado??!!

One of my long held life ambitions has been to experience a tornado, the weather/windy kind not the aircraft, though I wouldn't turn an opportunity to do that down either!

Well, WOW, maybe I just experienced a life ambition in a small way, right here, on my way home from work in little old England!!!

So what happened? I had just parked up outside the house on my return from white van hell, when the heavens opened, I mean this was instant and absolutely torrential rain where previously there had been nothing.


I was still in my parked car so I turned on my wipers to see. Moments later all hell seemed to break loose, there had been a slight breeze but suddenly there was mayhem on a small scale. Leaves recently shed from the trees advanced up the road at me in a rapid spiralling motion, recycling bins were lifted into the air, a good 15 foot high, and rained down around me (one hit the car....don't ask, I haven't dared look yet), their lids became detached and the contents became airborne and twirling at high speed everywhere..... and then there was the sound.....immediate, thunderous but not thunder, like nothing I've ever heard before.

The whole incident lasted maybe a minute, I wanted to get out of the car and video it but I couldn't open the door against the wind so I just sat, not quite sure what I was watching, thinking WOW...WOW...WOW......amazing....absolutely amazing!!!

....and then as fast as it had arrived it was gone, leaving only heavy rain and a mess of bins, papers, leaves and loose road signs in it's wake.

A tornado? I don't know, I'm not meteorologist and I didn't see it approach but it seemed suspiciously like a little tiny one to me.....anyone hear any reports of any in the U.K. today?

Whatever it was it was pretty cool, pretty amazing stuff and has reinforced my wish to go on a storm chasing holiday someday!

Wow....just wow!