A FAMILY was blown away when they spotted a mini tornado spinning through the countryside.
Matt McMillan, 41, was out for a walk to a stream near Llanfrynach in Powys with his daughter and twin boys when they came across the amazing natural phenomenon.
Matt McMillanA mini tornado was spotted twirling in Wales[/caption]
Matt McMillanYoungster Huw could be seen running towards the phenomenon[/caption]
Matt McMillanGrass and straw spiralled into the air as the boy approached it[/caption]
Matt McMillanDad Matt and seven-year-old Huw saw the tornado while on a family walk near Llanfrynach[/caption]
Footage shows the spiral of wind picking up loose cut grass and spinning it around in the air.
Matt can be heard saying to his son: “Are you going to have a look at it Huw.”
Huw, 7, replies: “Is it going to lift me off the ground?”
And Matt says: “I don’t think it will lift you off the ground but you can go and try.”
The lad then approaches as the whirlwind passes across the field towards some woodland.
Matt who lives near Brecon, south Wales, told The Sun: “We headed out to our local stream today for a little paddle and swim in the warm weather.
“My daughter saw some grass flying around in a nearby field and asked what it was. I grabbed my phone and ran to the field, along with one of my twin boys, Huw.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it looked like something out of a film.
“There was a tornado lifting the dry grass off the ground into a swirling vortex.
“We watched the tornado travel slowly across the field, it is a lot quieter and more serene than the scenes you see in a movie.
“As the tornado approached the edge of the field it dissipated and we left to go swimming in the stream.
“It was a magical moment that was truly once in a lifetime.”
ANDREW LLOYDMatt was strolling with his daughter and twin boys[/caption]
Matt McMillanHuw was concerned the tornado would lift him off the ground[/caption]
Matt McMillanThe family ‘couldn’t believe’ what they were seeing[/caption]
What is a Tonardo
The Met Office says:
“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.”
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