Oranmore tornado posed threat, says expert

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Written by Deirdre O'Shaughnessy

Wednesday, 25 July 2007

A ‘tornado’ seen by Oranmore residents last Thursday afternoon was potentially very dangerous, according to Ireland’s leading tornado expert, Dr John Tyrrell of UCC.

The tornado, more correctly known as a ‘funnel cloud’, lasted just under one minute and, according to eyewitness Dr John Joyce of the Marine Institute, “wasn’t like the film Twister, but was definitely notable”, appearing like the base of a cloud coming down in a funnel.

According to Dr Tyrrell, the tornado remained over the water and did not travel to land, where it could have caused serious damage. Fortunately, there were no boats on the water at the time, as these could have been picked up by winds of approximately 80 miles per hour.

Weather conditions like this are relatively common in Ireland, and this is not the first of its type in Galway Bay. The last tornado in Galway occurred in Monivea last year.

Winds within tornadoes can gust at over 90 miles per hour within a space of ten to 20 metres across, making them extremely dangerous when they are centred over land and pick up debris. This debris can cause widespread damage as seen in popular films such as ‘Twister’.

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