KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The mini tornado or landspout that struck Damansara, Selangor, yesterday evening was caused by active thunderstorm clouds (cumulonimbus), said Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.

He said a tornado is a fast-rotating column of air, formed by the presence of wind shear and updrafts during the development of thunderstorm clouds.

Mohd Hisham said tornadoes in Malaysia occur only on a relatively small scale, measuring less than 10 metres and lasting for a very short time.

“This makes their formation difficult to detect by radar and weather satellites, but MetMalaysia had issued a thunderstorm warning for districts in Selangor at 5.30pm on October 13,” he told Bernama today.

Mohd Hisham said landspouts, tornadoes over land and waterspouts over the sea occur frequently during the monsoon transition phase, from March to May and September to October.

He said the phenomenon is caused by unstable, humid atmospheric conditions, along with weak winds blowing from multiple directions.

Yesterday, social media users shared several videos showing the tornado as vehicles were stopped at a toll plaza, with strong winds appearing to lift the rear end of a vehicle off the ground. — Bernama