Farmer spots 'snow devil' tornado tearing through Scottish field as he feeds his sheep, while Brits shiver in freezing cold
8 March 2023, 09:18
A rare 'snow tornado' was filmed passing through a field in Scotland, as Britain continued to feel the effects of the unseasonably cold spell.
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Farmer Michael Peterson spotted the unusual weather phenomenon, also known as a 'snow devil', while he was feeding his sheep in Sandness on the Shetland Isles on Tuesday afternoon.
The World Meteorological Atlas describes the phenomenon as "snow raised from the ground in the form of a whirling column of varying height with a small diameter and an approximately vertical axis".
Snow tornado seen in Shetland
The Atlas adds: "This is a very rare phenomenon that occurs when surface wind shear acts to generate a vortex over snow cover, resulting in a whirling column of snow particles being raised from the ground.
"It is sometimes referred to as a 'snownado'."
It came before large parts of England and snow were hit by snow on Wednesday, with the Met Office warning of possible travel disruptions as Britain experienced its coldest night of the year.
Much of Scotland was carpeted in snow on Tuesday.
London, the west of England and south Wales early on Wednesday, as Kinbrace in the Highlands saw -15.2C temperatures.
Schools across the South East and South West of England, as well as Scotland and parts of Wales, closed.
