It really was a tornado the extreme wind phenomenon recorded on March 28th, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, which caused damage to houses and left two people homeless, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere confirmed this Thursday.
In a press release about two incidents recorded that day, in the municipality of Silves and on the Tagus river, IPMA confirmed that both were tornadoes.
«In the central and southern regions, as a frontal swell passed from northwest to southeast, the ingredients necessary for the formation of clouds with vertical development, sometimes with a supercell (SC) nature, were gathered», according to the institute.
«These disturbances are characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone (MC), which corresponds to an organized rotational movement in the cloud, but which only establishes itself at altitude. Only under very particular conditions is it possible for a tornado to form from the aforementioned MC», he added.
These conditions occurred in two different parts of the national territory, on the 28th.
In the case of the «strong wind episode in Benaciate, in the Parish of São Bartolomeu de Messines, «through the analysis of radar observations, documentation and reports, it was confirmed that the occurrence was associated with a tornado».
At 17:07 UTC the supercell was still over the sea, being located in the vicinity of Lagoa ten minutes later. With an advection of 22,5 m/s (81 km/h) in the east-northeast direction, at 17:27 UTC this SC was located close to the place where the occurrence was reported and, ten minutes later, it was already after the A2 motorway. This tornado destroyed two prefabricated houses, damaged other homes and caused large trees to fall, damaging vehicles, and telecommunications and power poles to fall. The extent and width of the path of destruction of this phenomenon is ignored», describes the IPMA.
«A preliminary analysis of the effects of the destruction reported at the site indicates that the phenomenon reached an intensity of at least F1/T2 (classic Fujita scale/Torro scale), corresponding to winds in the range 33-41 m/ s, i.e. 119-148 km/h (burst, average 3s). These values should be considered provisional and may be confirmed or changed in the near future», concluded the institute.
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