The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)

TORRO 50th Anniversary Conference in October 2024 at Reading University

TORRO presents several awards annually to recipients who have been identified as having significantly contributed to either the organisation or the wider meteorological community, especially in advancing our understanding of severe convection and tornadoes. The awards were first introduced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of TORRO, at a well-attended autumn conference at Reading University in October 2024.

Convective Weather Award

Awarded for a significant contribution, whether a student dissertation, published paper, conference presentation, poster, site investigation or an outstanding contribution to citizen science.

Lifetime Achievement Medal

Awarded to those who have not only given their time voluntarily for many years/decades, but whose research, data and expert dissemination has made a significant global impact.

The Terence Meaden Award

Named in honour of the founder of TORRO, Professor Terence Meaden, this is awarded to celebrate a person who has made an outstanding contribution to TORRO over the years.

Sarah Horton

Oct 2024: Sarah has supported TORRO as a storm damage Site Investigator since 2006. In this time, she has investigated more than 30 tornado and storm damage incidents, and has co-authored papers for the RMetS Weather journal, including Investigating the Surrey tornado of 21 December 2019 and The Jersey tornado and hailstorm of 1–2 November 2023. Sarah presents regularly at the bi-annual TORRO conferences, reporting on recent site investigations, as well as helping train new site investigators for the organisation, and presented at the RMetS Annual Weather and Climate Conference 2024.

Henry Wells

Oct 2025: Henry's research, as part of his PhD, has focussed on severe convective storms, including thunderstorms producing heavy rain, large hail, strong wind gusts and tornadoes. Henry co-authored a Climatology convective mode of severe hail in the United Kingdom in 2024, and more recently on the remarkable Jersey 2023 hailstorm in RMetS Weather. Henry is no stranger to TORRO conferences, having previously presented on the progress and early results of his PhD.

Jonathan Webb

Oct 2024: Jonathan is the TORRO Thunderstorm Research Director, having joined the team in 1985. He has also been a member of the Royal Meteorological Society since 1982 and recently completed a 5 year term on the Editorial Board of Weather. His published research includes case studies of thunderstorm episodes and associated severe convective weather, also summaries and analyses of the TORRO research databases of hailstorms and lightning damage. Jonathan has also contributed to published research on temperature and precipitation extremes in the U.K.

Mike Rowe

Oct 2024: Mike was a teacher of geography and history until his retirement in 2010. He joined TORRO in 1975 and for many years wrote the monthly reports of the Tornado Division. Mike is one of the longest supporters, researchers and contributors to TORRO. His early work on the TORRO database has been instrumental in determining a tornado climatology for the United Kingdom.

John Tyrrell

Oct 2025: John has investigated tornadoes in Ireland since 1995, and became Head of TORRO for 2 years helping to strengthen the organisation's research interests. This included performing and coordinating tornado site investigations in Ireland for many decades. He attended many conferences and published results in numerous national and international scientific journals. In 2021 John published the fantastic book, Tornadoes and Waterspouts in Ireland: Ancient and Modern, the first of its kind for Ireland.

Terence Meaden

Oct 2024: Terence is a professional physicist, meteorologist and also archaeologist with undergraduate and doctoral degrees in physics, and a Master's degree in archaeology from Oxford University. He has researched tornado climatology for over 50 years, and in 1972 established a tornado intensity scale based on the Beaufort Scale. In 1974, Terence founded the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) and in 1975 The Journal of Meteorology was launched in which Terence served as Editor-in-Chief until 2002. He has been a FRMetS since 1957 and his publications exceed 300, with over 1500 citations. Terence completed tornado track investigations spanning a period 1967–2007, with TORRO's main achievements compiling over 1,000 years of tornado data that include nearly 4,000 events. It was due to TORRO's tornado database that Terence was invited to be a consultant for the new‐build Nuclear Plant Industry regarding tornado hazard and damage risk.

Paul Knightley

Oct 2025: Paul joined TORRO in 1992 and has been instrumental in the growth of the organisation with both research and outreach. Paul was Head of TORRO for over a decade and took on the role of issuing severe weather forecasts for TORRO in the early 2000s, completing this valuable initiative last year. The severe weather forecasts were particularly unique at the time and gained much attention.

Dedications

Derek Elsom

Oct 2024: Derek joined TORRO in 1979 when he was a Lecturer in Geography at Oxford Polytechnic, shortly before it became Oxford Brookes University. He was Head of TORRO from 1994 to 2007. Over the years, whilst helping with the running of TORRO, he rose to be Professor of Geography, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Pro Vice-Chancellor. Derek retired from Brookes in 2012 and continued his connection with the University as Professor Emeritus. For TORRO he took part in several major tornado site investigations in the 1980s, and in 1985 he co-founded the annual series of conferences for which TORRO is so well known today. His research focused on weather hazards – principally tornadoes, hailstorms, and lightning in the UK. He also researched episodes of urban air pollution (smog) in several countries. For 40 years he was TORRO's authority on lightning events, risks, damage and deaths. He published a total of over 120 papers, books, book chapters and reports. Derek was the backbone of TORRO, we all miss his knowledge, kindness, cheerfulness, optimism, and his warm-heartedness at welcoming newcomers.

Keith Mortimore

Oct 2024: Keith passed away in March 2023, aged 85. A lovely, dedicated gentleman and meteorologist, he was part of the core of TORRO and, then, Journal of Meteorology for some 15 years, specialising in thunderstorm reporting. Keith prepared monthly thunderstorm reports for the journal from April 1977 to March 1987 and July 1988 to October 1991. He wrote the British weather summaries every month from October 1981 to March 1992. Keith was also the Editor of the Climatological Observers Link's bulletin from July 1977 to January 1981. When the Thunderstorm Census Organisation ceased in the early 1980s, Keith came to the rescue and collected the extensive archives of the Thunderstorm Census Organisation, which Morris Bower had founded in 1924. After retirement from the Ministry of Defence, Keith continued his weather observations. His contribution to TORRO in the early years was remarkable and will long be remembered.

Samantha Hall

Oct 2024: Sam was extremely passionate about severe weather, and served as Editor of The International Journal of Meteorology from 2006 to 2012. She was an avid storm chaser and went on annual storm chasing trips to the US with her brother. She was also part of the Skywarn network and would use these trips to help issue warnings. Sam always gave 110%. She attended many conferences and provided photographs for several book and calendars, including the book Storm Force by Michael Fish and Ian MacCaskill. She wrote a number of papers including one of the Greensburg tornado (4 May 2007), as well as several site investigations. In 2011, she completed a television documentary showcasing her severe weather passion and disability which was aired on BBC Three called "Stormchaser: The Butterfly and Tornado". She will be remembered by us all for her energy, passion, dedication and kindness.

John Mason

Oct 2024: John graduated in geology (1985, Aberystwyth), and went on to pursue postgraduate research on the ore-mineralogy of the Central Wales mining district, in between stints volunteering with the British Geological Survey (BGS). This work was later awarded an MPhil in 1995. John had diverse interests in the natural world, especially in Wales. He had a passion for meteorology and climate, sea angling, photography, conservation, and was a regular contributor to Skeptical Science. He led consulting services in environmental assessments, fields trip and many talks. He was a true friend of TORRO working on many publications, including the Boscastle Special Issue and 40th Anniversary Book, and also tornado site investigations including Bow Street, Ceredigion, on the night of 27th-28th November 2006. He also shared his thoughts, images and data on the TORRO forum. He will be greatly missed, and his work has left a legacy for others.