Man films moment a tornado-like funnel cloud appears above Bristol

Story and video from SWNS

This video clip shows the moment a tornado-like funnel cloud appeared in the sky.

Simon Mackie, 54, was putting his recycling bins out when he looked up to see the rare cloud formation on Sunday evening.

The garden centre supervisor rushed indoors to grab his phone to film the spectacle over the Bristol skyline at 7pm.

The unusual video footage shows a thin spinning finger of cloud emerging from a grey skyline, following one of the hottest weekends of the year.

According to the Met Office, funnel clouds - or 'tuba' - are extending, spinning fingers of cloud that reach towards the ground or surface of the sea but don't touch it.

Simon, from Bristol, said: "I first saw the start of a funnel type cloud as it dropped below a very dark cloud base as I put the recycling bins out!

"It was my first time seeing something like this but I knew instantly what I was looking at.

"I've always been fascinated by the weather and my parents had seen and photographed one in Italy several years ago.

"I called for my partner and also rang next doors bell to let them see it too.

"We all then watched for several minutes as the funnel got longer and we couldn't see the end below the horizon.

"It eventually thinned and was gone."

Funnel clouds form around localised areas of intensely low pressure, like tornadoes, but are only classed as a tornado if they touch the ground.

The video was filmed 6th June 2021.