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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Adam May & Aaran Lennox

Incredible moment rare 'dust devil' phenomenon seen on UK beach during Storm Franklin

A rare weather phenomenon was been captured on camera on a British beach.

On a the sands in north Wales during Storm Franklin, which caused torrential rain and flooding across the country, what looks like a mini tornado was spotted by mesmerised onlookers.

It was caught on film at the Nova car park in Prestatyn with the "dust devil" swirling during the torrential storm on Sunday evening.

The weather quirk was captured by William Dallimore and shared on the Prestatyn Connect Facebook page, North Wales Live reports.

After seeing the phenomenon first-hand, William said: "I was parked up on the Nova car park and could just see the spiral in the corner.

A strange weather phenomenon that looks like a mini tornado has been caught on camera in North Wales (William Dallimore)

"At first, I thought I was seeing things and that it was just the rain.

"After a while, I realised this wasn't the case.

"I thought it was a mini tornado, but then after some research, discovered what its real name was.

"The dust devil was circulating for around two hours.

"It was captured at the same time the media reported that a tornado warning had been issued as Storm Franklin was due to take hold in North Wales."

A dust devil is a strong, well-formed, and relatively short-lived whirlwind, ranging from small (half a metre wide and a few metres tall) to large (more than 10 m wide and more than 1 km tall).

According to UK Weather Chase, "dust devils are an interesting phenomena which form in an upward motion from the ground to the sky".

It continues: "They are short-lived whirlwinds that are mainly harmless.

"They tend to form when hot air at the surface begins to rise rapidly with much cooler air above it and higher up into the atmosphere.

"The warm air then stretches and causes a spinning motion much like a tornado."

Tens of thousands of homes in Wales have been left without power thanks to Storm Eunice on Friday, with Storm Franklin battering the nation on Sunday.

A mammoth clean-up operation has begun with homes and businesses flooded and roads left submerged.

The Met Office claimed gusts reached almost 80mph, with the BBC reporting the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it dealt with 100 flood-related calls in just 24 hours over the weekend.

A number of flood warnings had been issued at the weekend, with some of the highest river levels on record reached on parts of the Severn, Vyrnwy, Teme, Wye and Usk.

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