'Twister' seen in the skies above Maidenhead

The skies above Maidenhead put on the rare display of a cloud formation resembling a ‘twister’ on Saturday.

The ‘twister’ was spotted by members of the public across the town, from Kidwells Park to those driving on roads nearby.

Onlookers took to social media to post pictures and video of the phenomena, with one mentioning it could be the work of global warming.

Former meteorologist at Reading University with over 40 years experience, Roger Brugge, said it was likely to be a ‘funnel cloud.’

Discussing its formation, he said: “The air up in the clouds doesn’t just move horizontally, there’s all sorts of rotations going on. This rotation was bought down below the clouds.

“It looks like there was a depression in the area so that would’ve helped create the funnel cloud.”

In the United Kingdom, events like this are ‘relatively rare’ occurring around 20 to 30 times a year, according to Roger.

He added: “Very often in this country they don’t last for more than a minute, not like in the United States where they touch down and last for hours.

“You can track their movements across towns and states.”

If a funnel cloud touches water, it becomes a waterspout and if it hits the ground, it becomes a tornado.

On whether global warming could result in these phenomena becoming more common, Roger said it ‘could be possible’ however the picture was ‘complex.’

He said: “In general, because the air is warmer there is more moisture and therefore, more energy in there that will have the potential to do more extreme things.”

@MaidenheadAds twister over Maidenhead today. pic.twitter.com/OZlDhSOGpi

— Dino Feltimo (@DinoFeltimo) October 21, 2023