Lee-on-the-Solent’s weather mystery solved as Met Office experts identify dark twisting cloud

A twisting funnel of wind was spotted near Solent Airport at 3.53pm yesterday.

Joanna Quade, who took the video, wondered if the dark cloud moving towards the ground could be a forming tornado.

Experts at the Met Office identified the weather as a ‘funnel cloud’, also known as a ‘tuba’.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: ‘The video appears to show a funnel cloud.

‘A funnel cloud is a column of wind that reaches out towards the ground but doesn’t actually reach the surface.

If it were to reach the ground, it would then be called a tornado.

‘In a normal year, the UK sees around 30-35 tornadoes, though it is rare that they are strong enough to cause any significant damage.’

Funnel clouds form when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets, making a region of intense low pressure visible.

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