1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak

List of reported tornadoes – Monday 23 November 1981^[1] F# T# Location County Coord. Time (UTC) Path length Comments/Damage Wales F1 T2 Amlwch Anglesey 53°24′N 4°20′W / 53.40°N 4.33°W / 53.40; -4.33 (Amlwch (1019, F1)) 10:19
(±15 mins) 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) First tornado of the outbreak; touched down in Rhosgoch and moved north-eastwards towards Amlwch. F2 T5 Holyhead Anglesey 53°19′N 4°38′W / 53.31°N 4.64°W / 53.31; -4.64 (Holyhead (1034, F2)) 10:34 Strongest tornado of the outbreak. 20 houses were damaged in Holyhead and a mobile home was overturned and destroyed.^[3] FU TU Holyhead Anglesey 53°18′N 4°38′W / 53.30°N 4.63°W / 53.30; -4.63 (Holyhead (1034, FU)) 10:34 F1 T2 Penrhos Feilw Anglesey 53°17′N 4°41′W / 53.29°N 4.68°W / 53.29; -4.68 (Penrhos Feilw (1045, F1)) 10:45
(±15 mins) F1 T3 Llanddaniel Fab Anglesey 53°13′N 4°16′W / 53.21°N 4.26°W / 53.21; -4.26 (Llanddaniel Fab (1100, F1)) 11:00
(±5 mins) North West England F1 T3 Wallasey Merseyside 53°26′N 3°04′W / 53.43°N 3.07°W / 53.43; -3.07 (Wallasey (1130, F1)) 11:30
(±5 mins) F0 T1 Birkenhead Merseyside 53°24′N 3°02′W / 53.40°N 3.03°W / 53.40; -3.03 (Birkenhead (1130, F0)) 11:30
(±1 hour) F1 T2 St Helens Merseyside 53°27′N 2°44′W / 53.45°N 2.73°W / 53.45; -2.73 (St Helens (1150, F1)) 11:50
(±5 mins) Tornado passed through St Helens town centre, causing damage. F1 T3 Great Sutton Cheshire 53°16′N 2°56′W / 53.27°N 2.94°W / 53.27; -2.94 (Great Sutton (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±5 mins) F1 T3 Antrobus Cheshire 53°19′N 2°32′W / 53.31°N 2.54°W / 53.31; -2.54 (Antrobus (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T3 Croft Cheshire 53°26′N 2°33′W / 53.43°N 2.55°W / 53.43; -2.55 (Croft (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) Tornado later moved over the town of Warrington, causing some damage. F1 T2 Hollinwood Greater Manchester 53°31′N 2°08′W / 53.52°N 2.13°W / 53.52; -2.13 (Hollinwood (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±30 mins) 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) Tornado later moved over the town of Oldham, causing some damage. F1 T2 Cheadle Hulme Greater Manchester 53°22′N 2°11′W / 53.37°N 2.18°W / 53.37; -2.18 (Cheadle Hulme (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) Small tornado affecting parts of the town of Stockport. F0 T1 Whitefield Greater Manchester 53°33′N 2°18′W / 53.55°N 2.30°W / 53.55; -2.30 (Whitefield (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) Small tornado affecting parts of the town of Bury. F0 T1 Timperley Greater Manchester 53°24′N 2°20′W / 53.40°N 2.33°W / 53.40; -2.33 (Timperley (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±5 mins) West Midlands F1 T2 Norbury Shropshire 53°32′N 2°56′W / 53.53°N 2.94°W / 53.53; -2.94 (Norbury (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) 60 kilometres (37 mi) Staying on the ground for a long distance, this tornado also significantly affected the town of Whitchurch before dissipating. F1 T3 Market Drayton Shropshire 52°55′N 2°29′W / 52.91°N 2.49°W / 52.91; -2.49 (Market Drayton (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±5 mins) F0 T1 Beckbury Shropshire 52°37′N 2°21′W / 52.62°N 2.35°W / 52.62; -2.35 (Beckbury (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T2 Knockin Shropshire 52°47′N 3°00′W / 52.78°N 3.00°W / 52.78; -3.00 (Knockin (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) Also affected the town of Oswestry, causing some damage. F1 T2 Chetwynd Manor Shropshire 52°46′N 2°23′W / 52.77°N 2.38°W / 52.77; -2.38 (Chetwynd Manor (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±5 mins) 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) The market town of Newport was also impacted by this tornado. F1 T2 Ironbridge Shropshire 52°38′N 2°28′W / 52.63°N 2.47°W / 52.63; -2.47 (Ironbridge (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F0 T1 Kenilworth Warwickshire 52°21′N 1°35′W / 52.35°N 1.58°W / 52.35; -1.58 (Kenilworth (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±15 mins) F0 T1 Fenny Compton Warwickshire 52°09′N 1°23′W / 52.15°N 1.38°W / 52.15; -1.38 (Fenny Compton (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T2 Wem Shropshire 52°52′N 2°43′W / 52.86°N 2.72°W / 52.86; -2.72 (Wem (1205, F1)) 12:05
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Fordhouses West Midlands 52°38′N 2°08′W / 52.63°N 2.13°W / 52.63; -2.13 (Fordhouses (1400, F1)) 14:00
(±1 hour) Tornado caused damage in the suburbs of Wolverhampton. F1 T2 Bloxwich West Midlands 52°37′N 2°00′W / 52.62°N 2.00°W / 52.62; -2.00 (Bloxwich (1400, F1)) 14:00
(±1 hour) Tornado affected the outskirts of Walsall. F1 T2 Dudley West Midlands 52°30′N 2°05′W / 52.50°N 2.08°W / 52.50; -2.08 (Dudley (1400, F1)) 14:00
(±1 hour) 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) Tornado touched down in the suburb of Woodsetton and later passed through Dudley town centre causing some damage before dissipating. F1 T2 Erdington West Midlands 52°31′N 1°50′W / 52.52°N 1.84°W / 52.52; -1.84 (Erdington (1400, F1)) 14:00
(±1 hour) Tornado impacted the northern suburbs of Birmingham, causing some damage. F1 T2 Selly Oak West Midlands 52°26′N 1°57′W / 52.43°N 1.95°W / 52.43; -1.95 (Selly Oak (1400, F1)) 14:00
(±1 hour) Tornado impacted the southern suburbs of Birmingham, causing some damage. F0 T1 Solihull West Midlands 52°25′N 1°47′W / 52.42°N 1.78°W / 52.42; -1.78 (Solihull (1400, F0)) 14:00
(±1 hour) 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) Small tornado touched down in the suburb of Shirley and continued through to Solihull town centre. F2 T4 Stoneleigh Warwickshire 52°21′N 1°31′W / 52.35°N 1.52°W / 52.35; -1.52 (Stoneleigh (1400, F2)) 14:00
(±15 mins) Second strongest tornado of the outbreak, caused considerable damage in the village of Stoneleigh. 20 large static caravans were blown over and destroyed.^[3] South East England F0 T1 Claydon Oxfordshire 52°08′N 1°20′W / 52.13°N 1.33°W / 52.13; -1.33 (Claydon (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F0 T1 Hornton Oxfordshire 52°05′N 1°25′W / 52.08°N 1.42°W / 52.08; -1.42 (Hornton (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T2 Haversham Buckinghamshire 52°04′N 0°47′W / 52.07°N 0.78°W / 52.07; -0.78 (Haversham (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) Affected Milton Keynes. F1 T3 Wolverton Buckinghamshire 52°03′N 0°49′W / 52.05°N 0.82°W / 52.05; -0.82 (Wolverton (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) Affected Milton Keynes. East Midlands F0 T1 Daventry Northamptonshire 52°15′N 1°10′W / 52.25°N 1.17°W / 52.25; -1.17 (Daventry (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T2 Great Houghton Northamptonshire 52°13′N 0°50′W / 52.22°N 0.83°W / 52.22; -0.83 (Great Houghton (1200, F1)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F0 T1 Yardley Hastings Northamptonshire 52°12′N 0°44′W / 52.20°N 0.73°W / 52.20; -0.73 (Yardley Hastings (1200, F0)) 12:00
(±3 hours) F1 T2 Wrawby Lincolnshire 53°34′N 0°28′W / 53.57°N 0.47°W / 53.57; -0.47 (Wrawby (1315, F1)) 13:15
(±5 mins) F1 T3 South Killingholme Lincolnshire 53°34′N 0°14′W / 53.57°N 0.23°W / 53.57; -0.23 (South Killingholme (1330, F1)) 13:30
(±1 hour) F1 T2 Keelby Lincolnshire 53°34′N 0°15′W / 53.57°N 0.25°W / 53.57; -0.25 (Keelby (1330, F1)) 13:30
(±1 hour) F1 T3 Grimsby Lincolnshire 53°32′N 0°03′W / 53.53°N 0.05°W / 53.53; -0.05 (Grimsby (1330, F1)) 13:30
(±1 hour) F0 T0 Tydd St Mary Lincolnshire 52°45′N 0°08′E / 52.75°N 0.14°E / 52.75; 0.14 (Tydd St Mary (1445, F0)) 14:45
(±30 mins) Yorkshire and the Humber F1 T2 Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire 53°45′N 0°20′W / 53.75°N 0.34°W / 53.75; -0.34 (Kingston upon Hull (1330, F1)) 13:30
(±5 mins) Tornado passed through the north-eastern residential suburbs of Hull, causing damage. F0 T0 Kingston upon Hull East Riding of Yorkshire 53°44′N 0°17′W / 53.74°N 0.29°W / 53.74; -0.29 (Kingston upon Hull (1330, F0)) 13:30
(±1 hour) Small tornado affected the Port of Hull. East of England F1 T2 Carlton Bedfordshire 52°11′N 0°37′W / 52.19°N 0.61°W / 52.19; -0.61 (Carlton (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±5 mins) F0 T0 Aspley Guise Bedfordshire 52°01′N 0°38′W / 52.02°N 0.63°W / 52.02; -0.63 (Aspley Guise (1445, F0)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Flitton Bedfordshire 52°00′N 0°27′W / 52.00°N 0.45°W / 52.00; -0.45 (Flitton (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F0 T0 Luton Bedfordshire 51°53′N 0°25′W / 51.88°N 0.42°W / 51.88; -0.42 (Luton (1445, F0)) 14:45
(±30 mins) Small tornado affected Luton, causing minimal damage. F1 T2 Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire 51°58′N 0°13′W / 51.97°N 0.22°W / 51.97; -0.22 (Letchworth Garden City (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Fowlmere Cambridgeshire 52°05′N 0°05′E / 52.08°N 0.08°E / 52.08; 0.08 (Fowlmere (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±5 mins) F0 T0 Friday Bridge Cambridgeshire 52°37′N 0°10′E / 52.62°N 0.16°E / 52.62; 0.16 (Friday Bridge (1445, F0)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Upwell Norfolk 52°36′N 0°13′E / 52.60°N 0.22°E / 52.60; 0.22 (Upwell (1445, F0)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T3 Huntingdon Cambridgeshire 52°20′N 0°11′W / 52.33°N 0.18°W / 52.33; -0.18 (Huntingdon (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±5 mins) Moderate tornado caused damage in Huntingdon town centre. FU TU Wicken Cambridgeshire 52°18′N 0°18′E / 52.30°N 0.30°E / 52.30; 0.30 (Wicken (1445, FU)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Diddington Cambridgeshire 52°16′N 0°15′W / 52.27°N 0.25°W / 52.27; -0.25 (Diddington (1445, F1)) 14:45
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Harrold Bedfordshire 52°12′N 0°37′W / 52.20°N 0.61°W / 52.20; -0.61 (Harrold (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Silsoe Bedfordshire 52°00′N 0°25′W / 52.00°N 0.42°W / 52.00; -0.42 (Silsoe (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±5 mins) F0 T1 Melton Constable Norfolk 52°51′N 1°02′E / 52.85°N 1.03°E / 52.85; 1.03 (Melton Constable (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Swaffham Norfolk 52°39′N 0°41′E / 52.65°N 0.68°E / 52.65; 0.68 (Swaffham (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F0 T1 Norwich Norfolk 52°38′N 1°18′E / 52.63°N 1.30°E / 52.63; 1.30 (Norwich (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±30 mins) Small tornado affected Norwich city centre and surrounding suburbs, causing widespread but minor damage. F1 T2 Shipdham Norfolk 52°37′N 0°54′E / 52.62°N 0.90°E / 52.62; 0.90 (Shipdham (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±15 mins) F0 T1 Foulden Norfolk 52°33′N 0°36′E / 52.55°N 0.60°E / 52.55; 0.60 (Foulden (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Methwold Norfolk 52°31′N 0°33′E / 52.52°N 0.55°E / 52.52; 0.55 (Methwold (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Morningthorpe Norfolk 52°29′N 1°16′E / 52.48°N 1.27°E / 52.48; 1.27 (Morningthorpe (1500, F1)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F0 T1 Pulham Market Norfolk 52°25′N 1°15′E / 52.42°N 1.25°E / 52.42; 1.25 (Pulham Market (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F0 T1 Pulham St Mary Norfolk 52°26′N 1°15′E / 52.43°N 1.25°E / 52.43; 1.25 (Pulham St Mary (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F0 T1 Lakenheath Suffolk 52°26′N 0°34′E / 52.43°N 0.57°E / 52.43; 0.57 (Lakenheath (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±30 mins) F0 T1 Heybridge Basin Essex 51°44′N 0°43′E / 51.73°N 0.71°E / 51.73; 0.71 (Heybridge Basin (1500, F0)) 15:00
(±15 mins) F1 T2 Antingham Norfolk 52°51′N 1°21′E / 52.85°N 1.35°E / 52.85; 1.35 (Antingham (1515, F1)) 15:15
(±15 mins) F1 T2 Long Stratton Norfolk 52°29′N 1°14′E / 52.48°N 1.23°E / 52.48; 1.23 (Long Stratton (1515, F1)) 15:15
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Elmswell Suffolk 52°14′N 0°55′E / 52.23°N 0.92°E / 52.23; 0.92 (Elmswell (1515, F1)) 15:15
(±30 mins) F1 T2 Chelmsford Essex 51°44′N 0°29′E / 51.73°N 0.48°E / 51.73; 0.48 (Chelmsford (1515, F1)) 15:15
(±30 mins) Tornado affected Chelmsford city centre and surrounding suburbs causing minor damage. F1 T3 North Creake Norfolk 52°54′N 0°46′E / 52.90°N 0.77°E / 52.90; 0.77 (North Creake (1520, F1)) 15:20
(±15 mins) F0 T1 Mendlesham Suffolk 52°15′N 1°04′E / 52.25°N 1.07°E / 52.25; 1.07 (Mendlesham (1520, F0)) 15:20
(±5 mins) F1 T3 Beccles Suffolk 52°28′N 1°34′E / 52.47°N 1.57°E / 52.47; 1.57 (Beccles (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Combs Suffolk 52°10′N 0°59′E / 52.17°N 0.99°E / 52.17; 0.99 (Combs (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Needham Market Suffolk 52°10′N 1°04′E / 52.16°N 1.06°E / 52.16; 1.06 (Needham Market (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±15 mins) F1 T3 Coddenham Suffolk 52°08′N 1°07′E / 52.13°N 1.12°E / 52.13; 1.12 (Coddenham (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Chignall Smealy Essex 51°47′N 0°25′E / 51.78°N 0.41°E / 51.78; 0.41 (Chignall Smealy (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Broomfield Essex 51°46′N 0°28′E / 51.77°N 0.47°E / 51.77; 0.47 (Broomfield (1530, F1)) 15:30
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Mundon Essex 51°41′N 1°07′E / 51.68°N 1.12°E / 51.68; 1.12 (Mundon (1535, F1)) 15:35
(±5 mins) F1 T2 Wymondham Norfolk 52°34′N 1°07′E / 52.57°N 1.12°E / 52.57; 1.12 (Wymondham (1540, F1)) 15:40
(±15 mins) F1 T2 Clacton-on-Sea Essex 51°47′N 1°10′E / 51.79°N 1.16°E / 51.79; 1.16 (Clacton-on-Sea (1545, F1)) 15:45
(±5 mins) Tornado affected Clacton town centre and the seafront, causing moderate damage. F1 T2 West Mersea Essex 51°46′N 0°54′E / 51.77°N 0.90°E / 51.77; 0.90 (West Mersea (1545, F1)) 15:45
(±5 mins) Last tornado of the outbreak, touching down 5 hours and 26 minutes after the first tornado.