This is the moment a mini-tornado ripped through Greenwich Park, leaving locals who were enjoying the weekend sunshine stunned.
Footage shows dust and leaves on the ground, which had dried out following a long spell of hot weather, being picked up and spun by the wind tunnel.
@jimmy.delinquent Tornado in Royal Greenwich Park London 🌪️ (dust devil) #tornado #dustdevil #greenwichpark #royalgreenwich News outlets can use this as long as my username is watermarked on the video credited.
♬ original sound - jimmy.delinquent
The “dust devil” hurtled through the field of dried-out grass, gathering speed as it moved into swathes of people picnicking on the field.
Londoners are spotted fleeing the area as they try to escape the cloud of dust and leaves.
‘Toto, we’re not in Greenwich anymore…’ pic.twitter.com/1oRHpEFQNF
— Matthew Todd 🌏🔥 (@MrMatthewTodd) August 9, 2026
In comments on social media, users compared the mini-tornado to a scene out of Wizard of Oz, writing “Toto, we’re not in Greenwich anymore.”
Others speculated that London’s parks would be turned into “a desert” with “tumbleweeds next.”
Though the wind tunnel wreaked havoc across the Royal park, it is thankfully not an actual tornado.
Rather, the vortex is known as a “willy willy” or a dust devil. The spinning column picks ups dust and loose debris, typically forming on hot, clear, and sunny days.
They most commonly occur when the ground becomes very hot, causing a sudden rising of hot air.
The dust devil comes as the Met Office issues a rare extreme heat warning, with temperatures set to soar to 36C.
It follows the capital’s driest July on record, with the last rainfall stretching back to June 29.
Other sightings of the mini-tornados have been spotted in Hyde Park and Tooting Bec amid the dry spells of hot weather.
