New Delhi:
In a 'never seen before' phenomenon, a tornado-like storm was witnessed in Maharashtra's Ranmala village, Pune in late Friday evening.
Though confusions were prevailing over the type of the storm, a video showing a column of air moving upwards from the ground has gone viral on social networking sites.
This is the first time in the history of Maharashtra that a tornado-like situation was officially recorded in the state, according to a Center for Citizen Science (CCS) scientist.
The eyewitnesses from Ranmala village near Nazre dam, who captured the storm on camera are still awestruck by the arrival of this giant storm in the locale.
Meanwhile, a group of CCS scientists, led by senior meteorologist Dr JR Kulkarni rushed to the spot and analysed the circumstances to come to a decision.
The team collected data about the duration, path and the intensity of the tornado-like phenomenon and further conducted a survey to understand the type of the storm. They also collected pictures and videos from the local residents.
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Going by the primary analysis, the tornado lasted for about 90-120 seconds, covering a radius of 800 to 1000 metres. Anything in the path of the tornado, like metal covers of motor pumps and tin roofs of cattle shelters, were flown away.
Over 100 mm of rain was also recorded following the storm. However, no casualties and property damage have been reported in the incident so far.
To conclude their inspection, Dr Kulkarni and his team put the tornado at F0, on the Fugita scale of F0 to F5. The Fugita scale is used by scientists in order to measure tornadoes, based on damage to life and property.
Tornadoes, also known as twisters, are frequently observed in foreign countries like United States, Australia, South America, some parts of Africa and southeast Asia. The life-threatening storm is also common in neighbouring Bangladesh post-monsoon season.
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The worst recorded Tornado in Bangladesh was witnessed back in 1989 leaving over 1300 people dead in Daulatpur and Manikgunj districts near Dhaka.
