Tornado that lasted for a minute - strange weatherLast month, a strange weather pattern wreaked havo

Tornado that lasted for a minute - strange weatherLast month, a strange weather pattern wreaked havoc around southern West Bengal in India. The locals called it “the Mini tornado”. Although it lasted for only a minute, massive trees were uprooted, tree trunks of more than a foot in diameter were sliced in half, and tin sheds and rooftops were flung a few miles away. Tornados are a rare occurrence in this part of the world; the most recent large tornado was in 2010 when a massive tornado hit the area of Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and neighbouring Bangladesh. 140 deaths were reported in that tornado which lasted about 20 minutes, with West Bengal alone recording 44 deaths. The 2015 “mini tornado” surprised the locals as they haven’t seen such a tornado in at least the last 20 years. Many blame the government for inadequate infrastructure and non availability of early warnings.The villages of Panchla (in Howrah district) and Habra (in district North 24 Parganas) of West Bengal suffered massive damages on 28th July and 29th July, respectively. The meteorologists attribute this damage to an erratic low pressure belt over Bay of Bengal. At first, it stood still for three days, then started moving inland, and when it was 300 kms. away from Kolkata city, it shifted again moving 340 kms. away from the city. This varied motion led to the formation of multiple small twisters around the depression area which spread over an expanse of 300 kms. of sea within the pressure belt. The small twisters, dense clouds, high windspeeds of 60 - 70 kms. per hour, and heavy, localised downpours occurred in certain parts of the state throughout the week. According to Gokul Chandra Debnath, climate scientist and Director of Alipore Meteorology Department, “the low pressure belt that created funnel shaped towering cumulonimbus clouds could form destructive tornadoes, sometimes.” He further states that only by studying the weather phenomenon carefully would meteorologists be able to provide the exact reasons for such strange weather conditions. Meteorologists from Alipore Weather Department, West Bengal went for an on site inspection.–RB.Further information: http://bit.ly/1gtYaUShttp://bit.ly/1SQUgRUImage: http://bit.ly/1Ubpl54 -- source link

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