Waterspout tornado hits Ferozepur villages, causes minor damage

There was no other damage reported, according to information revealed by local residents.

Waterspout tornadoes are formed over water, or they move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms and are accompanied with high winds, dangerous lightning as well at times.

A video of the tornado has gone viral on social media. In the video, the water in the paddy fields is seen rising in the form of some waves. The clip also a lightning strike and a transformer in the fields.

“The transformer was damaged completely. Except that no other damage was reported. No villager reported of any loss when we enquired on Monday afternoon,” said Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman while talking to The Indian Express.

Information from weather experts revealed that the tornadoes which come in pre-monsoon season between March and June are more dangerous compared to the ones seen during the monsoon.

On March 24, a tornado of about 30 seconds was seen in Bukainwala village of Fazilka in which 70 houses were damaged, while 130 acres of crops were affected. All the trees in kinnow orchard had got uprooted, while more than 20 people were injured.

According to a research paper ‘Climatology of tornadoes over northwest India and Pakistan’ available on the website of IMD department where details of tornadoes till 2011 have been published – a total of 15 tornadoes had been reported in northwest India and Pakistan from June 1903-March 2011, out of which 12 have records of exact dates of occurrence. Eight out of 12 occurred between March and June – which is the pre-monsoon season. In North India, the most fatal tornado was seen on March 17, 1978, in New Delhi, killing 28 people and injuring more than 700, according to this research paper.

On August 15, 2007, a tornado was seen in Ludhiana near the Sahnewal airport which had damaged the standing crops, uprooted trees and blown off roof of a tube well. It was also caught on camera. Later on July 23, 2010, it was observed in Fatehabad area and again on August 14, 2010, in the same area. The tornado had caused damage to standing crops in both incidents. On March 19, 2011, a tornado had reportedly made a landfall in Sialkot area of Pakistan.

According to news reports, a tornado was observed between Jalandhar and Nakodar in March 2015, and in Zira village of Ferozepur in mid-February 2018. In both incidents there had been no loss of life, though some damage to crops and houses were reported.