Amid Storm Fergus: Powerful tornado impacts Ireland

A powerful tornado impacted the north-west of Ireland at the weekend. Houses and cars were badly damaged in an Irish village.

Fallen trees, covered roofs and bent street lights: a tornado left a trail of destruction in Leitrim in the north-west of Ireland. Videos on social networks show how the small-scale tornado whirls objects and debris through the air.

As is usual with tornadoes, the "spook" only lasted a few minutes, but the damage to the buildings was considerable. Broken roof tiles and broken tree branches littered the streets of Leitrim. Some residents had to be accommodated in emergency shelters. Some cars were also damaged.

There were no reports of serious injuries or fatalities. However, one man was treated for cuts to his head after wooden planks landed on his windscreen.

The strongest tornadoes usually occur in conjunction with a so-called supercell. The following basic ingredients are required for the formation of this queen of thunderclouds:

The thundercloud begins to rotate due to the different winds. A tornado can also develop in the process. How exactly it forms is still not fully understood, but is currently being researched. According to the latest findings, the vortex first forms on the ground and is only then erected.