A woman in Co Kerry caught images of a potential tornado while out over the weekend.
The weather phenomenon was spotted off the coast last Friday, and the most recent images show what looks like a waterspout forming, which s a column of rotating, cloud-filled wind.
According to reports, it began as a waterspout and became a landspout - which is when air near the ground begins spinning - close to the village of Ballyduff.
Met Eireann confirmed the sighting and said it had approximate wind speeds of between 120-150km/h and described it as a "weak tornado".
On Twitter, the Irish forecaster wrote: “We've heard reports of a possible tornado near Ballyduff, Kerry last week.
“Although tornadoes are rare in Ireland, they can occur when a variety of factors such as very unstable air, wind shear and vertical motion come together.”
They said tornados are difficult to forecast because they are a "small-scale phenomenon", but added that they are “more common than you think” in Ireland.
By their estimates, there are about 10 tornados recorded nationwide every single year while across Europe, around 200-300 are reported per annum.
According to Met Eireann: “We often receive e-mails or messages from members of the public inquiring about tornadoes or wondering if what they have witnessed could have been a tornado.
“In short, Ireland is not immune to tornadoes, and even if they are sometimes referred to as “mini-tornadoes”, they are still tornadoes.
“In fact, the term “mini-tornado” came into use to distance these tornadoes from the larger ones recorded in the U.S. and other countries.
“However, all tornadoes can be dangerous and on average there are 10 occurrences in Ireland each year.”
