Which were the strongest tornadoes in Europe?
Here is a list of all IF5 tornadoes in Europe
Which tornadoes caused the most fatalities and injuries in Europe?
A tornado in Cádiz, Spain, in 1671 is thought to have caused several hundred fatalities.
In recent decades, the deadliest tornado happened in the Ivanovo region in Russia in 1984. This tornado killed at least about 70 persons, and it is possible that its death toll was even much higher.
Several hundreds of injuries were reported for multiple tornadoes. The Ivanovo tornado in 1984 and a tornado in Lužice and other settlements in the southern Czech Republic in 2021 were the tornadoes with the most reported injuries in recent decades. Around 800 and 600 persons were reportedly injured by these tornadoes respectively.
How does ESSL rate tornadoes and downbursts?
ESSL uses the International Fujita (IF) Scale to rate the intensity of tornadoes and downbursts. The original F Scale was used until mid 2023 with some refinements. The EF Scale cannot be applied to cases in Europe due to a lack of appropriate damage indicators and a mismatch with European reference wind values.
What were the largest hailstones ever found in Europe?
The largest recorded hailstone in recent decades fell in Azzano Decimo, Italy, in 2023. The measured diameter based on a reference object was 19 cm in longest direction.
There are multiple reports of hailstones of up to 20 cm or larger from the 19th century. However, the quality of these reports may be varying and the numbers must be viewed with some caution.
Which flash floods have caused the most fatalities in Europe?
A flash flood in Murcia and Orihuela in Spain in 1879 caused over 1,000 fatalities. A flash flood in Palermo, Italy, in 1557 and floodings in Weimar and Erfurt region in 1613 are thought to have caused around 2,000 or even more fatalities. In the Mediterranean area including northern Africa a flash flood in Darnah (Lybia) in 2023, which caused more than 20,000 fatalities, was by far the deadliest flooding event in recent history.