A Dublin man has captured a photo that appears to show a small tornado over Ranelagh in south Dublin in recent days, baffling local residents in the area.
A tornado or twister as they are sometimes called, is a rapidly twisting vortex that most of the time gains strength as it moves along the land. While the phenomenon is relatively rare in Ireland, in recent years people have posted similar photographs online with a TikTok video of a 'mini-tornado' going viral last year.
According to Met Eireann, tornados or twisters are rare in Ireland but they can be caused by a number of contributing factors such as unstable air, wind sherar, and vertical motion coming together.
On Wednesday one man took to Twitter, posting an image of the alleged twister forming, and wrote: “Anyone else see the #twister over South Dublin?”
Other social media users flocked to comment on the phenomenon.
One person said: "Wow, this is unreal. Never knew we had these in Ireland too, they should study them a bit more like they do in the US."
Another person said: "I thought twisters were only in the US?!"
Met Eireann have said that tornados are difficult to forecast because they are a "small-scale phenomenon", but added that they are “more common than you think” in Ireland.
According to Met Eireann, there are around 10 tornadoes recorded nationwide every single year.
Met Eireann has explained that even ‘mini tornadoes’ are tornadoes and can be dangerous to people and homes.
They said: "We often receive e-mails or messages from members of the public inquiring about tornadoes or wondering if what they have witnessed could have been a tornado. In short, Ireland is not immune to tornadoes, and even if they are sometimes referred to as “mini-tornadoes”, they are still tornadoes."
Tornadoes are mainly associated with the Mid-West or South of the United States, with strong tornados mainly occurring in the spring and early summer. In these areas, very strong tornadoes mainly occur in spring and early summer.
Meanwhile, in Europe approximately two to three hundred tornadoes per year were reported on average over the past few decades. Germany, Southern Scandinavia, parts of Italy and Central England have the highest reported occurrences.
Summer is the time that mini tornadoes can form but most are weak, brief and are often not even spotted.
Read next:
Six rescues in one day in Bray sparks call for enforcement of swimming ban
Motorcyclist on scrambler in hospital after collision with car
SDCC are hiring a plumber and painter with salary of up to €785 per week
Leo Varadkar warns the cost-of-living crisis could go on for 'years'
Gardai issue appeal after crash leaves teenager fighting for his life
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
