Brighton tornado

The Brighton tornado is the strongest storm recorded in Melbourne to date.

Brighton tornado

F3 tornado
The Methodist Church, Hawthorn Road, completely destroyed by the tornado
Formed	2 February 1918 5:45pm
Duration	30 minutes
Max. rating1	F3 tornado
Highest winds	198 mph (319 km/h)
Damage	A£100,000–150,000[1]
Casualties	2 fatalities
Areas affected	Brighton, Victoria
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

On the afternoon of 2 February 1918, with prevailing north-westerly winds and a heat wave (typical conditions for Melbourne thunderstorms).[2] After a severe storm formed and moved off Port Phillip, two tornadoes struck Brighton beach simultaneously at approximately 5:45 pm and proceeded inland, converging near the junction of Halifax and Church Streets. Five minutes later, a third tornado struck. The tornadoes then tracked east over open fields.

Damage retrospectively rated F3 on the Fujita scale was observed in places. Two people were killed,[3] a man and a boy, while the drowning of a woman at St Kilda beach is believed to be related to the same storm cell.[4] Over 6 were injured in the Brighton area.[1]

The tornado completely destroyed the Hawthorn Road Methodist church, which was later rebuilt.[4] Numerous homes were demolished.[4] The tornado badly damaged the Brighton Baths, tore the roof off Royal Terminus Hotel and destroyed the verandah of Grimley's Hotel.[4] Extensive damage was incurred to infrastructure on the Sandringham railway line.[4] Several community and sporting facilities were destroyed including the cricket club grandstand and a bandstand.[4] It also damaged the burial monument of Adam Lindsay Gordon in the Brighton general cemetery.[1]