A dramatic funnel-like cloud formation accompanied by rising dust observed near the Tuticorin Airport on June 21 was not a tornado, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) clarified on Monday.

The weather agency said that it was a localised convective vortex or dust whirl.

The videos of the cloud formation taken from different angles are being circulated widely in the internet, tagging it as the rare tornado in TN.

According to the IMD, the weather department received reports and visual observations of the phenomenon at approximately 5 pm IST on June 21.

Following a detailed meteorological analysis, the IMD assessed that the feature was more consistent with a localised convective vortex, a dust whirl, or a transient funnel cloud associated with thunderstorm activity, rather than a true tornado.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai stated that thunderstorm activity developed over the Tuticorin region under the influence of an east-west trough extending across South Tamil Nadu at about 3.1 kilometers above mean sea level. These prevailing atmospheric conditions supported the development of deep convective Cumulonimbus clouds, resulting in localised thunderstorms associated with strong updrafts, gusty winds, and dust lifting in and around the airport area.

The funnel-like feature was likely associated with a strong convective updraft beneath a cloud base that lifted loose particles from the surface, creating the appearance of a rotating column of air, the press release added.

Dismissing concerns of a tornadic event, the IMD explained that tornado formation generally requires a strong pressure gradient, pronounced low-level wind shear, substantial atmospheric instability, and organized storm-scale rotation. Such conditions were not present over the Tuticorin region at the time of the occurrence.

V R Durai, Head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Center at the IMD in Chennai, emphasised in the statement that while strong Cumulonimbus clouds can occasionally produce brief funnel-like formations and gusty winds, the likelihood of tornado development over Tuticorin during the Southwest Monsoon season remains low.

The IMD noted it is closely monitoring the situation and confirmed that there is currently no evidence suggesting the occurrence of a tornado.