Survey predicts Manx tornado every 17 years

Isle of Man risk highlighted in academic study

A new study’s found the Isle of Man is one of the most at-risk places in the British Isles when it comes to tornadoes.

Researchers at the University of Manchester dug through 30 years of eyewitness accounts to produce a map showing how probable tornadoes are in each area.

Their chart shows there’s a six per cent chance per year of a tornado or waterspout here, three times more likely than in York or Dublin, giving one every 17 years.

The research from the university’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences published in this month’s American Meteorological Society journal also shows we’re most at risk between May and October.