Damansara:A mini tornado, also known as a landspout, struck Damansara, Selangor, yesterday evening, attributed to active cumulonimbus clouds, as stated by Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr. Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr. Mohd Hisham explained that tornadoes form as fast-rotating columns of air due to wind shear and updrafts during thunderstorm cloud development. In Malaysia, these tornadoes are typically small, measuring less than 10 meters, and are short-lived, making them challenging to detect with radar and weather satellites. Nonetheless, MetMalaysia had issued a thunderstorm warning for Selangor districts at 530 pm on October 13.

Dr. Mohd Hisham noted that landspouts and waterspouts are common during the monsoon transition phase, occurring from March to May and September to October, due to unstable and humid atmospheric conditions, coupled with weak winds from multiple directions.

Videos shared on social media depicted the tornado as it swept through a toll plaza, with strong winds lifting the rear end of a vehicle off the ground.