1930 Montello tornado

1930 Montello tornado

F4 damage to a large church in Volpago del Montello
Meteorological history
Date	July 24, 1930; 93 years ago (1930-07-24)
Formed	July 24, 1930, 1:08 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Dissipated	July 24, 1930, 1:43 pm. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration	35 minutes
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
T10 tornado
on the TORRO scale
Highest winds	>270 mph (430 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities	23
Injuries	110
Areas affected	Montello, Italy, Nervesa della Battaglia, Treviso and Udine
Part of the Tornadoes of 1930

On July 24, 1930, a powerful tornado hit northeastern Italy, killing 23 people and injuring another 110. The tornado caused extensive damage to multiple small communities from Treviso to Udine, particularly in the small village of Montello.^[1][2]

The tornado is widely accepted to have been one of the strongest and most violent tornadoes in European history and caused some of the most intense tornado damage ever documented in Europe.^[3][4]

Tornado summary

The tornado initially touched down northeast of Casoni at 1:08 p.m., immediately inflicting extensive damage as it tracked eastward through the town. The tornado tracked for another mile before hitting Pozzetto at an estimated F4 intensity,^[3] destroying a church and inflicting ground scouring. The tornado passed directly north of Ca' Onorai and Corte, narrowly missing both towns while still retaining F4 intensity.^[5]

The tornado then impacted the northern portions of Mottinello Vecchio, causing damage to multiple warehouses and killing 1 person. The tornado crossed a river, before tracking into Alberone from the west.^[3] The tornado adopted a more northward path and rapidly strengthened, reaching high-end F4 intensity as it missed Grande and Panevecco.^[5]

The tornado then began to track directly into the small community of Castello di Godego, hitting multiple bars and warehouses at estimated F5 intensity.^[4] Several people were killed. It destroyed a road in the community, before beginning to track in a continued northward pattern. It hit the southern portions of Muson, causing damage but no fatalities.^[5]

The tornado began to move parallel to Via 27 Aprile, before hitting the town of Vallá at F5 intensity.^[4] Vallá was heavily damaged, with power lines being knocked over and roads becoming impassable. As it was in the town's center, it turned slightly more northerly, avoiding a collision with the town of Fanzolo.^[5][6]

It began to track through less populated areas, avoiding collisions with small communities. The tornado narrowly avoided hitting Busta, and deep ground scouring was observed occurring at around this time. As the tornado crossed Via Santa Andrea, it began to turn to the south, avoiding the city of Montebelluna by around 2.5 miles (4.0 km). The tornado crossed multiple roads, destroying a large church at F4 intensity before turning northward once again.^[5][6]

The tornado directly impacted Volpago del Montello at F5 intensity,^[4] flattening well-built structures and sweeping an entire warehouse off of its foundation. The tornado killed multiple people and injured 50 or more, and began to speed up, creating deep ground scouring while taking an erratic and unpredictable path.^[2][5][6]

The tornado then curved slightly southward, hitting various structures and uprooting multiple trees. It began to curve sharply upward, hitting Selva del Montello at retained F5 intensity.^[4] Several people were killed, and a large church was destroyed. It sped up, narrowly missing multiple small communities, including Giavera del Montello. It crossed Via Arditi before crossing through the northern portions of Bavaria at a relatively low intensity. It crossed a small stream and hit multiple fields before crossing through the center of Sovilla, causing heavy damage to houses and other structures in its path.^[5][7]

The tornado continued in a northwestward direction, crossing a large river and hitting multiple small hamlets and villages at various intensities. As the tornado crossed through open crop fields, ground scouring was documented, up to an estimated at least 3 inches (7.6 cm) deep. The tornado hit the small community of Sarano, causing only minor damage to buildings before beginning to strengthen again.^[5][7]

The town of Capo di Sopra avoided a direct hit from the tornado, but damage was still documented in the area. The tornado entered a primarily uninhabited area of fields, causing intense damage to crops and trees. Shortly after, the tornado would enter the town limits of San Odorico and Sacile, tracking straight through the centers of both towns and causing extreme damage. The tornado also hit San Giovanni del Tempio, damaging houses and a commercial structure.^[5][8]

The tornado would begin to rapidly weaken east of the village of Talmasson, only causing minor damage to foliage and trees. It hit the center of Roverdo in Piano at a weak intensity, causing minor damage to structures and injuring one or more people. It passed north of San Quirino and crossed a large river before lifting at 1:43 p.m.^[5]

In total, the tornado tracked an estimated 50 miles (80 km) while retaining high-end F4 and F5 intensity. The tornado killed 23 people, injured at least 110 others, and caused millions of dollars in damages.^[8]

References