Tornado sweeps through Hampshire town

A tornado has swept through a Hampshire town, causing damage to properties and felling trees.

No one was hurt during the weather event in Aldershot, which happened at 12pm on Friday according to the local council.

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said it had tracked the length of the movement of the tornado to be 2km.

The organisation’s investigator posted on X, formerly Twitter, that it had given the tornado a preliminary T1 or T2 rating, which would rate it as light or mild.

Louise Le Poidevin, a local resident, said: “I was coming back and it was really, really cloudy, and as we got home the thunder started and the rain started – it was really torrential rain. The trees in the back garden were bent over and it was freaking us out – everything was lifted off the ground, the leaves were in a big spiral going round.

“I thought the doors and windows would come in. The noise was terrifying, then a gazebo came flying over onto next door’s fence. Then as soon as it started, 30, 40, 50 seconds later, it had gone.”

Ms Le Poidevin, who runs a grounds maintenance business, added: “I thought it was a tornado because of the spiral. I have never seen anything like it, and I am quite a weather watcher. Thankfully no one was hurt – I do not know how, because it was at midday.”

A Met Office spokesman said there had not been any official confirmation that it was a tornado, but added: “Looking at the evidence on the radar at the time, it definitely suggests that it could have been”.

Residents took to social media to share their surprise at the rare weather event. One posted on X: “Freak weather has put our little town on the map.”

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Firefighters were part of a joint response at an incident in Aldershot yesterday after a number of properties and trees were damaged in strong winds.

“Crews from Rushmoor and Surrey FRS were first called shortly after midday and worked closely with partner agencies to make the scene safe.”

In a statement, Rushmoor Borough council said: “There was a weather event in Cadnam Close, Aldershot, which caused damage to two blocks of flats and brought down several trees. Luckily, no one was injured.

“Damage to property has also been reported nearby in Lower Farnham Road, Osprey Gardens, Basing Drive, Andover Way, Ayling Lane, Sandown Crescent and Boxalls Lane. We are now working closely with all of our partner agencies to make the scene safe.”

Alex Baker, the Labour MP for Aldershot, posted on X: “I’ve been out talking to residents whose homes were damaged. Thank you Rushmoor Fire Brigade, the teams from Vivid Homes and everyone else who came out to help with the clear-up – a great community effort.”

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the rest of the weekend, with thunderstorms expected on Saturday covering Wales, large parts of the Midlands and parts of southern England. Heavy rain is expected to follow on Sunday in the southern half of the UK.

A Met Office spokesman said heavy thunderstorms are developing again and “we could potentially see some localised flooding particularly across south Wales, Gloucestershire and Somerset”.

Rainfall totals could be as high as 50-80mm in South Wales and parts of south-west England, which could mean some areas see “about a month’s worth of rain within the space of 24 hours” and in those areas there will be a risk of localised flooding.

Cornwall has been the most affected area so far on Saturday. Becky Mitchell, a Met Office meteorologist, warned there was “probably quite a lot of water on the road” after reports of about 30mm of rainfall in the area, which could lead to “tricky driving conditions”.

“The only other place I’ve seen some thunder strikes was quite early this morning, about 6am, and that was in the Surrey and Oxfordshire region,” she said. “We have got heavy showers across Wales and London at the moment too.”

A weather warning for rain will come into force on Sunday for Wales and central south-west England before another comes into effect on Monday, covering areas further east and north.