Footage has shown a possible tornado forming in Yorkshire.
The video on social media showed the phenomenon above Marsden, near Huddersfield, on Monday morning.
The Met Office said it could be a tornado or funnel cloud.
A funnel cloud, or “tuba”, is made up of a spinning vortex of cloud that reaches towards the ground. It only becomes a tornado when it makes contact with the ground.
“We’ve seen a few videos like this over recent days,” the Met Office said in a post on X.
“When you think of tornadoes, you might imagine the massive twisters tearing through the central US.
“But did you know that the UK has one of the highest numbers of tornadoes per land area in the world?”
It said the UK typically sees around 30-35 tornadoes each year, though it is “very rare that they are strong enough to cause any significant damage”.
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What is a funnel cloud?
The Met Office said funnel clouds are formed when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets, making a region of intense low pressure visible.
“They are formed in the same way as a tornado building around this localised area of intensely low pressure and are typically associated with the formation of cumulonimbus thunderclouds,” it added.
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It said they almost always form from cumulonimbus clouds, “meaning that heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning can all be expected”.
If a funnel cloud reaches the ground and produces a tornado, “very strong winds can be expected in the immediate vicinity of the vortex potentially causing severe damage”, the Met Office said.
