WATCH: Tornado hits South Africa’s West Coast
The South African Weather Service has confirmed a tornado has been detected in Velddrift along the West Coast.
The tornado started out as a waterspout when it made landfall on Saturday evening.
“It was a waterspout that moved over land and became a tornado, but it was a very weak tornado,” says SAWS weather forecaster Wayne Venter.
Waterspouts develop over the ocean and once they move over land, they become a landspout or tornado – depending on its strength and subsequent destruction.
“Those that usually develop along the West Coast are non-supercell tornados, so they are not very strong,” adds Venter.
While the SAWC is still assessing the impact of the tornado – it's set to register at the lowest level of the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The scale is used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage.
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Winds of up to 100 kilometer per hour have been reported during the tornado in Velddrift.
Venter says the occurrence is uncommon but does “develop around the East Coast at times”.
“Most of them stay offshore, but we do have them moving onshore but they are not significant at all.”
No significant damage to property or fatalities have been reported.
Residents took to social media to share their experiences.