1931 Birmingham tornado
In the evening hours of June 14, 1931, a deadly F3 tornado moved through the southern and eastern suburbs of Birmingham, England, killing 1 person and injuring 10 others. The tornado caused significant damage along a path.
Meteorological synopsis
On June 14, 1931, a complex area of low pressure was situated over the British Isles, with two low pressure centers, one situated over the southern coast, and one over the Midlands, funnelling warm air over the British Isles.Throughout the day, thunderstorm development across England was rampant: A man lost his life in Newcastle upon Tyne after being struck by lightning, hail up to 50mm in diameter fell at Salisbury Plain, and many locations received rain totals in excess of notably in Hall Green, Birmingham, where almost of rain fell in the hour before the tornado struck.
The mean temperature for England in June 1931 was, slightly above average.
Tornado summary
The tornado was first noted near Hollywood, Worcestershire at some point between 14:00 and 16:00 UCT, and moved north-northeastwards at around. The first significant damage occurred in Hall Green, with the tornado roughly following the course of the River Cole through Greet, Sparkhill, Tyseley, Bordesley Green, and Erdington. The districts of Sparkhill and Small Heath were hit particularly hard: many homes and businesses were extensively damaged, many losing roofs and exterior walls. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and snapped at Small Heath Park, which was reported as “literally razed to the ground.”The tornado caused the death of one woman in Sparkhill as a brick wall collapsed on top of her as she attempted to seek shelter in a shop doorway, while several others sustained injuries. Several hundred homes and businesses were damaged along the tornado’s path, with hundreds unroofed and many losing an entire top floor.
The tornado was later analysed by TORRO, who subsequently determined the maximum strength to be T6-7 on the TORRO scale, with a path length of around 10km, and a maximum path width nearly. The path was nearly paralleled by the 2005 Birmingham tornado, which in some locations passed less than a mile to the west.
On the same day, an F2/T4 rated tornado struck Handsworth, West Midlands, just a few miles west of the main tornado track, removing the roof from a well constructed home. Damage was also reported in Walsall, though TORRO concluded that no tornado occurred there.
Aftermath
A relief fund was set up by the mayor of Birmingham, Walter Willis Saunders, which received 559 claimants. A total of was raised by the fund. The distribution of money in the fund was subject to controversy from the victims of the tornado.British-Pathe published a newsreel shortly after the tornado, documenting the damage to homes and businesses in Small Heath.
The tornado was brought back into the public eye, when another tornado of a similar intensity struck near the same neighbourhoods of Birmingham in July 2005.