On the morning of 7 December, the UK was under the influence of a strong Atlantic Ocean low pressure system, which was named Ulrike,[1] bringing unstable weather conditions to much of the UK, and the south in particular.
At approximately 07:30 GMT, a small band of thunderstorms initialised over Cornwall moving east-northeast across the country.
This increased motion in combination with a change in wind direction ahead of the storm may have initialised the rotation of the mesocyclone in one of the now strong storm cells, resulting in the touchdown of the T5 tornado in Kensal Rise, London, at 11 am.
In the meantime, several hundred people were displaced from their homes until they had been declared safe for their occupants to return.
Brent London Borough Council, speaking to a national newspaper, announced that none of the affected properties are likely to be demolished, though a total of 29 homes have been declared as unfit for habitation due to the damage caused by the tornado.