Record-breaking year for mini-tornados in Finland

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The current year will be a record-breaking year for tornados in Finland. The Finnish Meteorological Institute has already recorded some 40 occurrences of twisters so far. In comparison, the year 1997 was the previous record year with 19 tornados.
      According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the weather in July and August was humid enough to create tornado conditions, and moreover, turbulent flows were typical in the lower layers of the atmosphere. Such local tornados will not necessarily become common or permanent features of the climate.
     
Historically, this was the first time when a tornado hit the centre of an urban residential area in Finland. In addition to the damage at the Tali golf course in Helsinki, a similar mini-twister knocked down trees in western districts of Helsinki as well as in Kirkkonummi, near the border with Espoo.
      The occurrence of tornados in Finland has been traced as far back as the 18th century, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute has systematically recorded them in its statistics since 1997.
      According to Anneli Nordlund of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, only two people have died as a result of tornado activity in Finland. "One person was killed in Nurmijärvi in 1932, and another in Kiuruvesi in 1934".
     
Nine people were injured on Sunday, mainly as a result of being struck by flying debris, when a mini-tornado swept across the Tali golf course in Helsinki and blew away a hospitality tent that was packed with people. None of the injuries was very serious, and some of the injured were allowed to leave hospital and go home on Monday.
      According to the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, the intensity of the tornado was apparently F1.
      Even though it is exceptional, it is likely that the same thunder-cloud or another cloud belonging to the same storm front was behind both the mini-tornado in Helsinki and the twister in Kirkkonummi.
     
Not long before the incident at the golf course, the wind struck down hundreds of trees in southeastern Kirkkonummi, some of them falling down on summer cottages. It even blew down electricity poles, and consequently, part of the power line will have to be rebuilt.
      According to Engineer Kimmo Vainiola of the energy company E.On Finland, the electricity grid line will be repaired as soon as possible. Because of the damage, the line will have to be transferred to a new location once negotiations with landowners have been completed.
      Even though power was restored to nearly all households in Kirkkonummi already on Sunday, clearance work in the area will take a long time.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nine injured as mini-tornado flattens marquee at Helsinki golf tournament (29.8.2005)

Links:
  Finnish Meteorological Institute
  Fujita Tornado Damage Scale

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