4:10pm Monday 15th June 2009
By Catherine Pye
A TWISTER was spotted in the sky over Lancashire today by dozens of shocked bystanders.
The thick tunnel of cloud was seen over the moors between Chorley, Blackburn and Darwen.
Later on a similar cloud formation was spotted over Clitheroe.
The Met Office said it was probably a funnel cloud which is formed from condensed water droplets and a rotating column of wind extending from the base of a cloud.
A rotating column of air is only defined as a tornado if it touches the floor.
There are about 30 tornados in Britian a year. Funnel clouds are much more common, especially in the thundery conditions experienced in the region yesterday.
The twister was visible from Chorley town centre, where council communications officer Andrew Daniels photographed it from the Town Hall in Market Street.
He said: "I was ready to go out for my dinner and went to look out of the window to see what the weather was like when I saw a cloud in the shape of a tornado.
"I had a closer look and I thought it could be a tornado so I took a photo because I didn't think anyone would believe me.
"It was about 12.15pm and it was there for only a few minutes forming and re-forming.
"We were looking from the Town Hall in the direction of Darwen but I couldn't say how near or far it was."
A woman from Darwen, who asked not to be named, saw the cloud formation as she was taking her son to nursery.
She said: "Lots of people were looking and pointing in the direction of the Darwen Moors, near Darwen Tower.
"You could see lots of dark clouds above the moors and thunder and lightning. Then you could see a funnel developing.
"It looked very calm though."
Mark Royle, 37, of Roman Road, Blackburn, was cars" target="_blank">driving home from a meal with his partner at about 12.30pm when he spotted the cloud.
He said: "I tried to get to the tallest hill I could - which ended up being Morecambe Road in Blackburn - to photograph it before it disappeared.
"It was in the direction of Darwen, a good few miles away, large at first but then elongated as it got closer to the floor.
"There was thunder and lightning around it and a big clap before it finally disappeared after about five-10 minutes.
"You don't see many of them in England, but funnily enough, I've seen one before and it was in a similar location."
Web reader 'sirmarky' spotted a twister about an later near Clitheroe.
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