Damage to homes and cars after 'tornado' hits West Yorkshire suburb

Homes and cars have been damaged after reports of a "tornado" in West Yorkshire.

A clear-up was underway on Friday after strong winds swept through Outwood, near Wakefield, on Thursday evening.

Doorbell camera footage from Victoria Way caught what resembled a small whirlwind picking up litter and debris.

Tiles were torn from roofs, windows were smashed and cars were damaged by strong gusts.

Katie Fraser, who lives on Leeds Road, said her greenhouse had been "shattered" in the wind.

She said: "I was round at my mum's. I looked at the back window and there was a spiral of wind... It lasted for about 30 seconds, that's all. I heard banging and my neighbour's roof had come off. It was quite scary to be honest."

Roofs were damaged in the strong winds. Credit: ITV News

Another resident Andrew Sellers said: "We heard this big loud bang and we wondered what it was. We went out and saw the car all smashed up. It was just mayhem.

"There was debris on the road. I still don't believe what I've seen.

"I've lived here 43 years and it's never happened. I've seen the odd tile blown off, but not complete roofs."

Maria Navarro-Moreno was at home when she heard a "swirling sound and then a massive bang".

"It was so dark you couldn't see anything. I've been awake most of the night worrying it was going to come back," she said.

"It was really scary. The noise was horrendous."

Cars were damaged by flying debris. Credit: ITV News

Analysis by ITV News Calendar weather presenter Kerrie Gosney

There were certainly strong winds on Thursday, with damaging gusts seen in various parts of the region. But did we see a tornado in West Yorkshire?

Let's start with the basics - a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud.

They're most common in central and eastern parts of the United States, although around 30 a year are reported in the UK.

  • Doorbell camera footage showed the 'tornado' sweeping down the street. Credit: Katrina Tolson

There was certainly enough instability in the atmosphere on Thursday for there to be the possibility of a tornado to form here - rapidly rising air and a warm and moist atmosphere.

We were predicted squally showers - intense periods of rain accompanied by winds increasing very quickly - and so some intense weather was expected - and visible - during the evening.

Gusts hit 58mph at Emley Moor. At Cranwell in Lincolnshire there were 51mph gusts.

And there could be more wild weather on the way, with a yellow warning for wind in place from Friday through to Sunday.

Windows at West Yorkshire Police's Carr Gate complex were smashed.

The nearby Carr Gate offices of West Yorkshire Police were among the buildings damaged.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "West Yorkshire Police can confirm that damage was caused to some windows at its Carr Gate complex in Wakefield last night as a result of high winds.

"Damage was also caused to some parked vehicles. There were no injuries."

Elsewhere a fallen tree on the line between Leeds and Wakefield caused disruption to rail services.

The incident came ahead of widespread Met Office weather warnings for strong winds during Storm Darragh over the weekend.

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