Tornado alert? Peterborough ‘twister’ turns out to be funnel cloud formation

Some Peterborians were contemplating ‘battening down the hatches’ last week after spotting what appeared to be a tornado looming large on the horizon.

The imposing ‘twister’ – which became visible on Friday afternoon – could not have looked more Wizard of Oz-like if it tried.

Despite the fact tornadoes appear rarely across the UK, some believed that is exactly what was heading our way around tea-time on May 18.

“Tornado west of Peterborough, 5.20pm today!” exclaimed one excited observer on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).

However, it was soon revealed that the twister which was hypnotising residents and amateur photographers alike was in fact a funnel cloud.

Speaking to the BBC, Weatherquest meteorologist Dan Holley explained that funnel clouds are “quite common in slack, humid setups in the spring and summer months.”

The Met Office describes funnel clouds as ‘spinning fingers of cloud that reach towards the ground, but never touch it.’

It is only when these ‘tuba’ touch the ground that they become fully-fledged tornadoes (or water spouts if they are over water).

It is estimated that around 30-35 tornadoes occur in the UK each year.

While it is quite rare for British tornadoes to be intense enough to cause significant damage, it is not unknown.

Indeed, Peterborough has been hit by not one but two powerful tornadoes in its recent history: once in 2005, and then again just two years later in 2007.

On both occasions, the intense storms left significant structural damage in their wake.