Ninety-four mph hurricane-force winds swept through west Wales, trampling caravans in ‘absolute carnage’, it has been reported.
The “extreme winds” tore through Aberystwyth, Wales, the market town and holiday resort, flipping 20 caravans and cutting power in some homes, but leaving no injuries,
The Telegraph reported.
The huge gusts, which crews at Aberystwyth Lifeboat weather station said were the strongest they had ever recorded, caused what the locals described as “absolute carnage”. Damage was reported including dozens of roads closed or blocked by felled trees and tiles flung off roofs or other debris.
Thomas Scarrott, park director, said: “Absolute carnage. Emergency services on scene. Everyone is safe though.”
According to Aberystwyth Lifeboat, the huge gusts measured 82 knots on its weather station, before it calmed down to 25 knots after the “sun came out”.
MeteoGroup said the storm blew inland across mid-Wales towards Shrewsbury over the course of Thursday,
The Telegraph reported.
The Met Office and MeteoGroup said they had yet to verify if a tornado had hit the area, but said they heard of tornado reports from Clarach, near Aberystwyth.
Forecasters, on the other hand, said that although 94mph is fast enough to exceed hurricane speed, it cannot be classified as a hurricane because the wind came in surges and did not last long enough, the report said.
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