An unexpected high wind startled residents of Three Houses Hill, St Philip, yesterday.
Between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., as members of that community went about their daily endeavours, strong winds, followed by a loud noise, startled many.
Referring to the change in weather as a “mini tornado”, concerned resident Vera Reece said she heard a big bang that caused her to cover her ears. Afterwards, she went outside to find that she and other neighbours had broken windows. Reece added that a tent on her lawn was blown over and galvanised sheets were scattered along the road in her district.
Meteorologist Wayne McGeary of the Barbados Met. Office said that tornadoes were usually associated with thunderstorms that are generated from cumulonimbus clouds, and none of those types of clouds was in the sky at the time of the incident.
“We don’t normally get tornadoes but what they could have seen was an eddy (swirl of wind) which could have been as a result of a burst in windspeed.
“As we move into the dry season we start to see a more dominant pattern by a high-pressure system. It is associated with a tighter pressure gradient and stronger winds.”
McGeary added that there was nothing to be alarmed about. (SB)
