KUALA LUMPUR: Active thunderstorm clouds caused the landspout that struck Damansara, Selangor, yesterday evening, said Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.
He said a tornado was a rapidly rotating column of air that formed when wind shear and updrafts developed alongside thunderstorm clouds.
Hisham said tornadoes in Malaysia were relatively small, measuring less than 10 metres and lasting only a short time.
"This makes their formation difficult to detect by radar and weather satellites, but MetMalaysia had issued a thunderstorm warning for districts in Selangor at 5.30pm on Oct 13," he told Bernama today.
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He said landspouts over land and waterspouts over the sea occurred frequently during the monsoon transition periods, from March to May and September to October.
The phenomenon was caused by unstable, humid atmospheric conditions, coupled with weak winds blowing from different directions, he added.
Several videos of the incident were shared on social media yesterday, showing vehicles stopped at a toll plaza as strong winds appeared to lift the rear end of a vehicle off the ground.
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