A potential tornado swept through an Irish village, causing significant destruction to homes and cars.

On Sunday afternoon, Leitrim village requested emergency assistance due to strong winds causing trees to fall, a building’s roof to be torn off, and debris to be strewn across a street.

Liz Walsh, a meteorologist from Met Éireann, stated that there were reports of a tornado in the vicinity, which could potentially be accurate or at least indicated strong winds accompanying the thunderstorm. She mentioned that the forecaster was using information from social media posts and videos to confirm the occurrence of a tornado.

She stated that within a thundercloud, there is potential for the wind speed and direction to shift as it ascends, resulting in a rotational motion. If the funnel cloud manages to extend all the way to the ground, this can lead to a tornado.

“It is possible that it was simply a sudden, straight gust of wind. However, some individuals reported seeing rotation. These events are difficult to predict and typically only last for a short period of time.”

A person who witnessed the potential tornado reported that while driving through the storm, their Jeep was hit with debris.

Paddy Farrell, a council member, shared that he was nearly caught in the midst of a “tornado” while passing through Leitrim village. He stated, “I was personally driving through the village at the time. If I had been a second slower, I would have been directly affected by it.”

While driving my Jeep, I heard what sounded like a group of people throwing stones at it. Debris was flying around, making it feel chaotic. The suddenness of it caught me off guard.

Farrell, who resides in close proximity to the village, stated: “A building’s roof was removed and multiple buildings were affected. Even some newer apartments sustained damage, with one of them having a blown-in window.”

Many cars were damaged, potentially 10 to 20. Emergency services were notified and nearby businesses closed.

He reported that there were two minor injuries and thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt. He also mentioned feeling shaken when he returned home due to the frightening experience. He hurried to get home as fast as possible.

A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath from midday until 6pm, indicating a high possibility of thunderstorms and lightning.

Met Éireann has reported that Storm Fergus will bring high winds and the possibility of coastal flooding to the west coast of Ireland on Sunday.

Counties Clare, Galway and Mayo are currently under orange wind warnings due to the combination of powerful winds blowing from the shore and elevated waves and tides.

The second named storm of the weekend, Storm Fergus, has resulted in wind warnings in several counties including Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Leitrim, Roscommon, and Sligo.

The counties should prepare for challenging travel conditions due to debris or loose objects that may be displaced.

Michelle Dillon, a meteorologist from Met Éireann, stated that on Sunday afternoon, evening, and early Sunday night, strong to gale force winds from the south-west will shift to a westerly direction as Storm Fergus moves across the country.

“Strong wind from the storm may cause high waves and, combined with the rough weather, there is a potential for flooding in coastal areas of the western coast, especially during high tide.”

The UK Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings in certain areas of Scotland and northern England, but none have been issued for Northern Ireland.

According to the head meteorologist of the Met Office, Andy Page, Storm Fergus will bring an end to a turbulent weekend of weather in the UK.

“Fergus is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday night and early Monday morning,” the meteorologist stated. “Although the Republic of Ireland will experience the strongest gusts, western regions and Irish Sea coasts should also prepare for windy conditions and potentially significant rainfall.”

Source: theguardian.com