Influence of an island land mass on the frequency of waterspout and tornado formation in its vicinity: Example of the Isle of Wight with regard to waterspouts and tornadoes affecting the English South Coast

This research deals with the incidence of tornadoes and waterspouts along the coasts of Hampshire and Sussex. In particular, the areas north and east of the Isle of Wight are studied and some cases analysed. The severity of the property damage indicates tornado tracks up to 900 m wide (as at Selsey on 7 January 1998) and suggests tornado intensities up to T8 on the International Tornado Scale. On extreme occasions (e.g. 14 December 1810, 28 September 1876, 7–8 January 1998, 28 October 2000, 30 October 2000) many dozens–and sometimes hundreds–of properties were damaged. The work suggests that the presence of the Isle of Wightʹs land mass in westerly and south-westerly conditions disturbs the atmospheric circulation sufficiently to trigger or to intensify tornadic vortices from storm cells, and implies that in the absence of the island there would be fewer such occurrences.