A mini-tornado with a diametre of around 12-15 metres hit Siji town in Fujairah on Tuesday.
According to storm_ae that posted the video on Instagram, the incident happened around 2pm on August 29
In the video shared, a massive grey formation is seen rising into the air, as it proceeds to envelop the sky.
A tornado is a rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. According to meteorologists, “tornadoes form when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air. They happen mostly in the afternoon, when the sun has heated the ground and the atmosphere enough to produce thunderstorms.”
Sand tornadoes, also known as ‘dust devils’, are usually harmless and not uncommon in the UAE.
Back in September last year, a mini tornado was spotted in Al Ain followed by heavy rain and strong winds. Also last year, in September, a mini-tornado occurred in Sharjah. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) shared a video showing a whirlwind kicking up dust into a funnel-shaped formation in the Madam area