Littlehampton tornado left 3km trail of destruction – report

Homes in Littlehampton and Wick were damaged as the tornado left a three-kilometre trail of destruction on October 28.

Tornado investigators found damage to roof tiles on buildings in the area, smashed car windows and lost fence panels after visiting the scene after the incident.

The worst damage, however, was found in North Street in Wick, where one house had lost its roof, which was flung by the tornado into the gardens opposite.

Roof tiles were scatted up to 50m away, with roof insulation found as much as 350m away from the house.

One witness described how he “heard a loud roar that lasted for a few minutes”, before going outside and seeing roof debris strewn across the road.

The tornado struck close to the same site as another tornado the month before in Littlehampton.

A third tornado also struck Sussex in Sompting as Storm Ciaran battered the south coast last month.

The report, by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro), classed the tornado as a T4 – which has wind speeds of up to 136mph.

It concluded: “Damage around 5.55pm on October 28 2023 was due to a tornado. There was clear evidence of lofting of debris. It appeared to cross the River Arun at around the same location as the September 17 Littlehampton tornado.”