A man has captured a photograph of what looks like a tornado forming through the clouds over Ranelagh in South Dublin in recent days.
A tornado - or twister as they are sometimes referred - is a rapidly twisting vortex that most of the time gains strength as it moves along the land.
This type of weather phenomenon is rare in Ireland, however, in the past other people have posted images online of similar occurrences nationwide.
On Wednesday one man took to Twitter, posting an image of the alleged twister forming, and wrote: “Anyone else see the #twister over South Dublin?”
According to Met Eireann, “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 have not commented on this latest image.
Generally, they have 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 the Irish forecaster’s website, they say: “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.”
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