TWISTER TERROR
Jaw-dropping moment giant ‘landspout’ tornado towers over desert landscape in dramatic video
THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a giant "landspout" tornado was seen towering over the desert in Saudi Arabia.
The terrifying twister began as a thin funnel but rapidly grew into an hourglass-shaped tornado as it gained strength.
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Dramatic footage shows the landspout sucking up dust towards the sky as a light drizzle fell in the city of Duba.
Worker Angelito Luna said: "It's the first time I've seen a tornado this large in Saudi.
"It was rotating so rapidly."
The rare phenomenon eventually dissipated into a cloud of dust within a few minutes.
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Authorities in several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have issued weather warnings for torrential rain in the usually barren region.
Landspouts - also known as non-supercell tornadoes - have a narrow, rope-like funnel, and they form while thunderstorm clouds are still growing.
They are similar to waterspouts - but they occur over land - and disappear much more quickly than supercell tornadoes.
They are also weaker than supercell tornadoes - which originate from violent thunderstorms and are much more destructive.
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Landspout tornadoes are also formed when air gets sucked up into a storm from ground level - while supercell tornadoes form from rotating supercell thunderstorms.
But both types of tornadoes can bring strong damaging winds.
Back in 2020, a massive tornado swept through Al Jawf in Saudi Arabia - with meteorologists describing it as one of the largest to have ever hit the country.
The incredible tornado formed in the middle of the desert.
Stunning footage showed the "dust devil" moving slowly across the landscape.
It comes after a huge twister struck Qatar last month, with dramatic footage showing the black spiral-shaped storm clouds touching down in the desert country.
It touched down in Ras Laffan Industrial City, around 50 miles north of the Qatari capital Doha.
Qatar's Meteorology Department shared footage of downpours and powerful hailstorms in the city.
Tornadoes are extremely rare in Qatar, which, according to the World Risk Index, has the lowest threat level from natural disasters of any country on earth.
Landspouts and supercell tornadoes
There are several differences between landspouts and supercell tornadoes.
Landspouts - which are also known as non-supercell tornadoes - have a narrow, rope-like funnel, and they form while thunderstorm clouds are still growing.
They are similar to waterspouts - but they occur over land - and disappear much more quickly than supercell tornadoes.
They are also weaker than supercell tornadoes - which originate from violent supercell thunderstorms and are much more destructive.
Landspout tornadoes form from air getting sucked up into a storm from ground level - while supercell tornadoes form from rotating supercell thunderstorms.
Both types of tornadoes can bring strong damaging winds.
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