SYDNEY: A fire surveillance camera captured dramatic video of a tornado towering over thunderstorm-struck countryside in eastern Australia on Wednesday.
Authorities issued a severe storm warning after the twister emerged in mid-afternoon over a lightly forested rural area approximately 260 kilometres inland from Sydney.
A fire tower camera automatically captured images of the tornado’s tail curling from the ground into a dark cloud covering the sky near Young in the Hilltops region of New South Wales.
Emergency services warned of damaging winds and large hailstones while advising people to stay indoors and secure loose items.
There were no immediate reports of injuries from the weather event.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the tornado was observed in mid-afternoon with another sighted approximately 70 kilometres away an hour earlier.
Fire service towers are equipped with cameras to automatically detect smoke along with signs of heat and fire.
New South Wales Fire Service inspector James Morris explained these cameras also monitor storm cells due to lightning strike risks potentially igniting grass fires.
“The cell that was coming across did have a lot of lightning in it,“ Morris told AFP.
“This season we have got very high fuel loads in the grassland areas,“ he said following extended periods of rain and warm weather.
“Once that grass cures off it provides a significant risk for grass fires. That is likely what our biggest risk will be this season.” – AFP
