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WATCH: Video of boy running through ‘mini tornado’ in Cologne goes viral

A youth football team got a surprise last week when they got an unexpected visitor in the form of a "mini-tornado".

Published: 9 June 2017 14:48 CEST

WATCH: Video of boy running through 'mini tornado' in Cologne goes viral

Screenshot from Facebook post.

The 15-metre-high whirl of dust interrupted the training of a boys’ football team in Cologne last week, but at least it was caught on camera, according to Focus magazine.

A video posted to Facebook last Friday shows the ferocious flurry of dust spinning around the football field and knocking over a metal goal while some boys attempt to or succeed in running through it, unharmed. The swirl of dust then suddenly vanishes into seemingly thin air.

It has since been viewed nearly a quarter of a million times, and shared more than 1,200 times.

An expert from the German Weather Service (DWD) explained to the Rheinische Post how the little tornado occurred.

“Such wind columns are produced when air begins to rotate on an extremely heated ground,” said expert Cornelia Urban, adding that meteorologists refer to these as “dust devils”.

These dust devils are often very short-lived, only swirling about briefly in the air. For them to emerge, several conditions have to occur at once.

“It must have been dry for a while, it must be quite hot, and the ground must be dusty,” says Urban.

Therefore, dust devils are relatively rare in Germany.

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Major storms hit western Germany on Thursday, causing travel disruption and flooding.

In parts of Baden-Württemberg, streets were flooded and rivers swelled. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly hard hit, with cellars and streets plunged under water.

Police said there was also traffic disruption. In Baden-Württemberg’s state capital Stuttgart, severe storms and lightning caused issues and some roads were closed.

A lightning strike in the Sigmaringen area resulted in a broken signal box on the railway line. According to Deutsche Bahn, no train journeys were possible in the region in the early evening with several delays and cancellations.

Other states were also affected.

There were around 300 relief operations in the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was hit by the 2021 deadly flood disaster.

Police said no-on was injured, although basements and streets were flooded. The water levels of the Ahr were being closely monitored.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein

In Trier, too, streets were flooded after heavy rain and there were hailstorms. The Koblenz police headquarters reported fallen trees. Significant property damage due to full cellars and flooded streets was also reported in some areas.

Heavy showers also fell in Hesse, accompanied by thunder storms. In Frankfurt, according to the fire department, the heavy rain caused water to enter the Bethanien Hospital and even reach the intensive care unit of the clinic.

“We were able to contain the damage relatively quickly and prevent it from spreading,” said fire department spokesman Thorben Schemmel, adding that no patients were affected.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Eifel region was particularly affected, with reports of flooded streets after heavy rain and hailstorms.

North Rhine-Westphalia also saw storms late in the afternoon on Thursday.

The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expected some heavy rain and hail in parts of the country on Friday – particularly in the west – and at the weekend but warnings of severe weather have been lifted.

The DWD said there could still be one or two strong thunderstorms in the northeast on Friday. However, it will be a significantly quieter day compared to Thursday. Temperatures of up to 25C can be expected.

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