Tornado photographed in Clare causes quite a stir
WHEN you think of tornadoes you imagine mad storm chasers haring across Midwest America not the Mid-West of Ireland.
But earlier this month Ellie Byrne captured a rare photo of a tornadic waterspout off the Kilkee coast while out for a sojourn.
Ellie tweeted the pic which received numerous likes and retweets. She kindly gave the Leader permission to use her stunning photo.
Met Eireann picked up on the picture saying, "Although tornadoes are rare in Ireland, they can occur when a variety of factors such as very unstable air wind shear and vertical motion come together".
Thankfully it occurred when Kilkee is at its quietest and not thronged with holidaymakers.
According to the National Ocean Service in the US, tornadic waterspouts are "tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado".
On the previous day, January 7, a small tornado hit Ballyduff, North Kerry, causing damage to buildings.