Durban - The South African Weather Services have officially confirmed that the strange weather system seen over Vryheid at the weekend was indeed a tornado.
“Unfortunately Vryheid lies somewhat in excess of 200km from the Durban radar, which means SAWS did not have adequate radar coverage that may have been able to tell us something about the structure of the associated parent thunderstorm that spawned it,” said Services spokeswoman Hannelee Doubell.
Doubell was responding to reports from inland areas in the form of pictures and videos via social media of the tornado.
The Daily News spoke to Nathon Viljoen on Tuesday, who had been at a prefect camp when the storm struck on Saturday.
Doubell said that they were especially glad there had been no injuries or severe damage to property.
“We urge the public to take the necessary precautions when severe thunderstorms or tornadoes occur. Especially during the months of October and November, the public must be alert and never underestimate severe thunderstorms, which can often lead to (these) events.”
“In particular, a person should never try to outrun or ‘out-drive’ a tornado – these winds and their strength should never be underestimated.”
She said whenever a severe thunderstorm occurred, chances of a tornado should not be excluded.
“However, forecasting tornadoes per se is one of the most difficult things as they develop in an existing thunderstorm with a lead time of only 20 minutes. It is safe to say that the spring and summer periods in the summer rainfall areas will always be prone to tornadoes – they actually happen more frequently than we think – so people need to always be careful.”
The Service included the following precautions about tornadoes:
* In the event of seeing a tornado, move to the pre-designated building or else move into the centre of your house and get under a strong piece of furniture, such as a table.
* Get out of vehicles, caravans and mobile homes, as they can be moved, overturned and even destroyed by the strong winds and flying debris.
* Stay away from windows, as flying glass and debris cause the most deaths.
* Do not attempt to outrun a tornado in your vehicle. Leave it immediately and seek shelter.
* If caught outside in the open, lie flat in a ditch or depression, but beware of flooding if there is heavy rain.
Daily News