Rare tornado briefly touches down in Thoothukudi on June 21
On Sunday, June 21, Thoothukudi saw something you almost never see in Tamil Nadu: a tornado.
Videos verified by meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya and shared by Tamil Nadu Weatherman showed a skinny funnel cloud touching down and stirring up dust.
It didn't last long; no major damage has been reported.
Tamil Nadu lacks organized storms
Tornadoes need plenty of warm, damp air, a powerful updraught and a bit of spin near the surface to form.
Even though Tamil Nadu gets lots of moisture from the Bay of Bengal during monsoon season, its storms aren't usually organized enough for tornadoes.
Most Indian tornadoes pop up in states like Odisha or West Bengal during pre-monsoon storms.
Forecasters say likely landspout tornado
Forecasters say this was probably a "landspout" tornado, a weaker type that forms from spinning air at ground level.
Landspouts are extremely rare here; only a handful have ever been recorded in Tamil Nadu.
Events like this remind us how unpredictable weather can be and why understanding it matters for everyone's safety.