A 'tornado' has been spotted ripping through Bonnyrigg and Roslin in Midlothian as a thunderstorm hits the capital causing some extreme weather.
The unusual cloud formation was seen circling through the grey stormy sky close to some houses in the area. Many residents snapped images and video of the rare phenomenon.
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The video shows a dark grey tornado gathering speed as it blasts through a forrest just outside the Bonnyrigg neighbourhood. Edinburgh and the Lothians is included in an amber weather warning that is in place from 4pm until 11pm on Tuesday, September 6.
Mark Pryde who captured the storm near his home told Edinburgh Live: "I filmed it from the Sinclair Gardens development in Roslin, near the old Roslin Institute. The film was taken at 15.28 but it was swirling like that for 3-4 minutes at least!
"I saw a tornado in the Lake District once but I was only 13/14 at the time. It looked very similar!"
A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. They form in very unsettled weather conditions as part of severe thunderstorms.
Many conditions need to be present for a tornado to form but, when these conditions are met, a violently whirling mass of air, known as a vortex, forms beneath the storm cloud. A funnel cloud usually develops as the vortex forms due to the reduced pressure in the vortex.
Strong inflowing winds intensify, and the spin rate increases as the vortex stretches vertically. If it continues stretching and intensifying for long enough the vortex touches the ground, at which point it becomes classified as a tornado.
The tornado then moves across the surface causing severe damage or destruction to objects in its path. A tornado typically has the form of a twisting funnel-shaped cloud between the cloud base and the ground.
Sometimes the vortex can appear as a slender rope-like form, particularly when the tornado is weakening, sometimes a tornado can be almost invisible, observable by the debris thrown up from the surface.
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The Met Office warned that there is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail and that will lead to longer journey times by car and bus and delays to train services could be possible.
They also advised that there could be a short term loss of power, a chance of damage to a few buildings and structures from lightening strikes and some flooding of a few homes and businesses are likely, leading to some damage to buildings or structures.
The predicted forecast reads: "Bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to move northwards across Scotland through Tuesday afternoon and evening. These may bring 20 to 25 mm in an hour and perhaps 40 to 60 mm in 3-4 hours in one or two places, mainly in the east.
"Lightning and hail may be additional hazards. Rain and thunderstorms are expected to move northwards overnight then ease and clear early on Wednesday morning."
If you have seen any out of the ordinary weather during the thunderstorms get in touch on news@edinburghlive.com
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