Eldon couple in hot tub tornado ordeal
The pair had decided to go for a dip after returning from a shopping trip, Mr Jones said."Of course, as soon as we sat in the summer house, the rain just came down and then all of a sudden the roof went," he told BBC Radio Tees."One minute it was here, the next minute gone, and so was everything else."Mr Jones said the high winds turned the concrete posts between his wooden fencing panels into "toothpicks" which snapped from the force.
Mr Jones said: "Luckily no-one was hurt and not one car was damaged."He said his wife had started looking at what they could do with their insurance.Neighbours had also seen their roofs damaged and windows smashed in."We've got a lot of neighbours around here that are all chipping in, helping each other out," Mr Jones said.He said the clean-up operation in his own back garden was now under way."I had a day off yesterday and I thought, 'nah, I'm not going to tackle it at all, I'll do it tomorrow," he said.
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Greece closes the Acropolis as 44C heatwave grips Athens and Malaga is hit by wildfires while tornado rips through airport in storm-hit France as Europe battles extreme weather
Southern Europe is being scorched by an unrelenting heatwave that has forced Greece to close ancient landmarks and triggered fierce wildfires across Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Meanwhile, northern parts of the continent are battling a different kind of extreme weather as deadly storms, tornadoes and giant hail batter France and Germany. In Athens, temperatures have soared to 44C in what has already become the third heatwave of the summer, prompting the closure of the iconic Acropolis and strict new rules to protect workers from the blistering heat. Across the Balkans, firefighters are struggling to contain multiple blazes that threaten homes, nature reserves and tourist regions, with emergency services complaining of stretched resources and outdated equipment. Spain and Italy are also in the grip of fast-spreading fires that have devoured tens of thousands of hectares of parched land, with Sicily and Malaga among the hardest hit. The EU's fire monitoring system warns that the risk of yet more devastating blazes remains high as forecasters predict drier-than-average conditions for much of the continent through August. But while southern Europe burns, parts of France and Germany have been lashed by violent storms that ripped roofs from homes and toppled trees. A tornado tore through an airport in central France, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, as hailstones the size of golf balls hammered southern Germany. These extreme weather events come after 2024 was officially declared the hottest year ever recorded, with temperatures exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Pigeons shelter from the sun and heat under a bench along a promenade during a heatwave in Sliema, Malta July 22, 2025 Greece, one of the most popular summer holiday destinations for Brits, is sweltering under yet another heatwave after months of searing heat. The continent's southernmost nation has always had hot and dry summers, but is suffering increasingly devastating wildfires and scorching temperatures. National weather service EMY has said the heatwave that began on Monday is not expected to ease before Sunday, with temperatures in Athens reaching 44 degrees Celsius today and expected to increase during the week. Authorities announced that the Acropolis, Greece's most visited ancient site, would be closed for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday. Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in the wider area of Athens and other regions were among those ordered to pause work from midday until 5pm. Workers with underlying health issues were advised to work remotely to avoid heat stress. In the Balkans, firefighters are battling forest blazes across North Macedonia and Albania. Seven major fires were reported in North Macedonia, where temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius were recorded Tuesday. Five fires were out of control in Albania where temperatures ranged from 37C to 41C on Monday. In Croatia, a fire near the tourist town of Sibenik was being fought by dozens of civil emergency experts and six specialist planes. Some of the fires in North Macedonia have been burning for several days, notably one in the Ezerani natural park close to lake Prespa, and the country's mayors have complained they do not have enough resources to battle the fires. According to the mayors' association, the 400 firefighters in North Macedonia are half the number that the law lays down as the minimum. Their vehicles are on average 27 years old. Serbia was on a heat alert with highs around 38C on Monday, but temperatures were expected to start falling. The country is already suffering from one of its worst droughts in living memory. Northern Bosnia was also braced for temperatures of up to 40C. Bulgarian authorities on Tuesday urged businesses to give away water and cut physical labour during high-risk hours. Spain is struggling to quell a series of wildfires that have already burned through more than 70,000 hectares of land in recent weeks. Firefighters managed to extinguish or control several blazes over the weekend, but arid conditions sparked two fresh fires near the tourist hotspot of Malaga. One punishing fire was recorded threatening the main entrance of the Andalucia Technology Park (PTA) in Campanillas, near Malaga city. Another was spotted near in Casares, near the Ignacio Molina wind farm. In both cases, firefighters and water-dropping helicopters were dispatched to calm the flames. The Italian island of Sicily is also battling several wildfires, with soaring temperatures leading authorities to issue red alert warnings for four provinces this week. 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Research published last week showed that the soil surface temperature around Athens rose in some places by as much as 10 degrees Celsius since July 2024 after fires destroyed vegetation. Firefighting efforts continue from the air for the forest fire which broke out at Mediterranean scrubs between Partinico and Alcamo, western of Sicily, Italy on July 20, 2025 While Italy, Spain, Greece and the Balkans battle wildfires and scorching heat, residents in France and Germany are facing a very different problem. Brutal storms engulfed much of eastern France over the weekend with one person killed and six more injured amid the violent weather events. The roofs of several houses were torn off in the department of Saone-et-Loire, north of Lyon, such was the intensity of the winds and the lightning storms. One person attempting to make repairs to his roof was killed when he was blown off a ladder, while in nearby Jura, almost 5,000 people were left without power. 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Sky News
5 hours ago
- Sky News
Possible tornado spotted in Yorkshire
Footage has shown a possible tornado forming in Yorkshire. The video on social media showed the phenomenon above Marsden, near Huddersfield, on Monday morning. The Met Office said it could be a tornado or funnel cloud. A funnel cloud, or "tuba", is made up of a spinning vortex of cloud that reaches towards the ground. It only becomes a tornado when it makes contact with the ground. "We've seen a few videos like this over recent days," the Met Office said in a post on X. "When you think of tornadoes, you might imagine the massive twisters tearing through the central US. "But did you know that the UK has one of the highest numbers of tornadoes per land area in the world?" It said the UK typically sees around 30-35 tornadoes each year, though it is "very rare that they are strong enough to cause any significant damage". What is a funnel cloud? The Met Office said funnel clouds are formed when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets, making a region of intense low pressure visible. "They are formed in the same way as a tornado building around this localised area of intensely low pressure and are typically associated with the formation of cumulonimbus thunderclouds," it added. It said they almost always form from cumulonimbus clouds, "meaning that heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning can all be expected". If a funnel cloud reaches the ground and produces a tornado, "very strong winds can be expected in the immediate vicinity of the vortex potentially causing severe damage", the Met Office said.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Moment ‘tornado' swirls over West Yorkshire skies
A "tornado" was filmed swirling through West Yorkshire skies on Monday evening (21 July). Footage posted on social media in Marsden, near Huddersfield, showed a narrow tunnel of clouds stretching up towards the sky. A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface; they form as part of severe thunderstorms. A spokesperson for the Met Office told the Yorkshire Post: 'It certainly looks like it could be a tornado but without seeing it touch the ground it isn't possible to confirm it isn't a funnel cloud. It is only a tornado if it touches the ground.' The Independent has reached out to the Met Office.
