Formed 1 January 1970 Areas affected Bulahdelah | Max rating Start date January 1, 1970 | |
Similar Edmonton tornado, 1970 Lubbock tornado, Tri‑State Tornado | ||
The Bulahdelah Tornado was an intense tornado which occurred near the town of Bulahdelah (100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north-northeast of Newcastle), New South Wales on 1 January 1970, and is thought to be the most destructive tornado ever documented in Australia. It is thought to be at least F4 or F5 on the Fujita scale; however, no official rating has been made public.
The tornado left a damage path 22 kilometres (14 mi) long and 1–1.6 km (0.6–1 mi) wide through the Bulahdelah State Forest. It is estimated that the tornado destroyed over one million trees. A caravan was destroyed and a 2-ton (2,000 kg) tractor was lifted into the air, landing upside down. The tornado was reported by witnesses as a swirling black cloud surrounded by flying debris, and producing a thunderous roaring sound. The weather system that produced the tornado was a classic set-up for violent tornadoes, something somewhat rarely seen outside of the United States, Canada, Bangladesh, and adjacent areas of India.