Camper films 'twister' in sky above Davidstow

Lisa Letcher
·3-min read


A man has captured what appears to be a large twister in the sky while on a camping trip in Cornwall. Nick Maddern, from St Austell, filmed the dramatic shot on Thursday (May 16) in north Cornwall.

Taken from a site at Davidstow, on the northern side of Bodmin Moor near Camelford, the video shows the rapidly rotating column of air above him. Another term for a tornado or a whirlwind, twisters usually occur as a result of severe thunderstorms when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air.

It is certain to be, however, a funnel cloud, which is a cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface. In the UK they often look like thin dangling bits of rope, hanging from the cloud above - exactly similar to tornados or twisters.

READ MORE: Visitor's anger at £100 charge for 14-minute car park overstay

READ MORE: Family 'finding it hard' after 'life-changing' house fire destruction

Paris Ringham, his partner, said she first spotted it above the Davidstow Airfield at around 2pm. "I was joking at first," she said. "I spotted it and said it looks like a little twister and then Nick said, 'it is, grab the camera!'."

These intriguing looking clouds have been spotted on previous occasions in north Cornwall with one captured in a video in June 2023. It was described as a "baby tornado beginning to form but never quite getting there" in Camelford.

BBC senior meteorologist David Braine said at the time funnel clouds are normally formed underneath thunderclouds. He said: "In the UK in summer they are quite common, not always as obvious as this footage and rarely cause damage unless they form a tornado."

⚠️ Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

In September onlookers were stunned when they filmed what they thought was a tornado off the coast of Cornwall. The sight was witnessed off the south coast around St Austell Bay.

Kal Atter, who saw the funnel cloud and confused it with a tornado, said: "I have spotted a small tornado form then disappear off the coast of St Austell about 6.55pm tonight." Other occasions where such a cloud has been seen off the Cornish coast, include one seen in Fowey the previous summer.

The October before that, tourists and residents alike were left impressed, confused and, in some cases, a little scared after spotting what they thought was a tornado near Rock.

Often confused for twisters or tornados, in most cases these sights are funnel clouds. While a funnel cloud may look exactly like a tornado, the official definition of a tornado calls for it to be touching the ground and accompanied by violently rotating winds. Therefore, not all funnel clouds develop into real tornadoes.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • UK 'weather nightmare' coming with 30mph winds and hellish thunderstorms

    A BBC weather forecaster has told viewers to 'forget' the idea nice weather will sweep in...

  • Mount Everest's highest camp is littered with frozen garbage, and cleanup is likely to take years

    The highest camp on the world’s tallest mountain is littered with garbage that is going to take years to clean up, according to a Sherpa who led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak. The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of garbage, four dead bodies and a skeleton from Everest during this year's climbing season. Ang Babu Sherpa, who led the team of Sherpas, said there could be as much as 40-50 tons (88,000-110,000 pounds) of garbage still at South Col, the last camp before climbers make their attempt on the summit.

  • Hippopotamuses can become airborne for substantial periods of time, researchers discover

    Hippopotamuses can become airborne for substantial periods of time, according to new research into the mammals. Research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found that the animals can be up in the air for up to 0.3 seconds at a time when moving fast. The findings found that unlike other land animals such as elephants, horses and rhinos, hippos exclusively trot when moving, pushing the limits of what giant land animals can do, the RVC said.

  • A ‘potentially historic’ heat wave intensifies along the West Coast, as dangerous wildfires spread

    An extremely dangerous, unusually long heat wave is intensifying and spreading up the West Coast – and there will be no relief for days.

  • Mapped: Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Mexico as Category 2 storm

    Hurricane Beryl could make a ‘rare’ double strike in Mexico and potentially impact southeastern United States

  • Grenada minister tells UN: hurricane-devastated Islands need anything for `a human being to survive'

    The minister for the two islands in Grenada that Hurricane Beryl first slammed into with catastrophic winds had a simple message for U.N. and other humanitarian officials who asked what was needed: “Anything that would allow a human being to survive.” Tevin Andrews, who was in the devastated island of Carriacou Friday where Beryl first made landfall as the earliest category 4 storm in the Atlantic, also said when asked whether there was flat space for humanitarian workers to set up tents: “The whole island is flat.” Simon Springett, the top U.N. humanitarian official for the eastern Caribbean and Barbados, who listened to Andrews’ call and relayed his remarks to U.N. correspondents said he didn’t want to sound over-dramatic, “but the islands were really dramatically, catastrophically, catastrophically hit.”

  • Hurricane Beryl Hits Vacationers in Tulum after Causing Death and Destruction across Caribbean

    The lights went out in Tulum, Mexico, early Friday as Hurricane Beryl hit the Yucatán Peninsula, plunging tens of thousands of vacationers and residents into darkness, the Associated Press reported. The killer storm, responsible for at least 11 deaths and mass destruction in the Caribbean, also hit Cancun, where hotels and restaurants were boarded up to prevent damage. It is poised to re-strengthen this weekend as it takes aim at Texas.After reaching Category 5 strength on Monday–setting a recor

  • Debris Removed From Historic Jamaican Bridge Submerged in Wake of Hurricane

    A cleanup was underway on Thursday, July 4, at a historic Jamaican bridge that was swallowed by the swollen Rio Cobre in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.Video from a See Jamaica camera shows the centuries-old Flat Bridge in St Catherine parish being cleared of accumulated debris.An evacuation order was in effect on Wednesday for areas prone to floods or landslides, or near sea level, gullies, or waterways, Jamaica

  • Weather tracker: Hurricane Beryl causes devastation across Caribbean

    Beryl is earliest category 5 Atlantic hurricane in about 100 years of record keeping

  • Beryl set to restrengthen into hurricane as it barrels toward US with Texas residents urged to evacuate: Live updates

    Beryl has weakened to a tropical storm but is expected to regain strength over the weekend

  • Hurricane Beryl aims at Mexico tourist hotspots

    STORY: Hurricane Beryl is rushing towards Mexico's tourist hotspots, after battering the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.Around 3,000 tourists had been evacuated from Isla Mujeres back to the mainland near Cancun, while at least 100 flights were cancelled at Cancun International Airport.Authorities closed beaches in the southern Mexico town of Tulum and urged people to remain indoors, though that hasn't stopped some tourists from hanging around.“I did not know a storm was coming. I don’t watch the news so I didn’t realize it. I was supposed to fly to Belize tomorrow but I cannot go until later.”Late on Thursday Beryl strengthened again into a category 3 storm, and is forecast to cross Cancun and Tulum.Earlier in the day, coastal businesses could be seen preparing for its arrival.And the director of the US National Hurricane Center, Michael Brennan has warned of serious flooding.“And Beryl is again quickly moving west northwest where you can see the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula here. We could get some heavy rainfall, but we're expecting isolated amounts as high as ten inches in portions of the Yucatan, basically just south of Cozumel and Cancun area. So the combination of that rainfall and the storm surge in coastal areas could create some very serious flooding."The storm left behind a deadly trail of destruction across several smaller Caribbean islands over the past few days.On the Cayman Islands, phone footage shows sea rocks scattered by high waves, which breached a sea wall.While on Union Island, locals sifted through debris and destroyed homes. At least three people have died.The tally of storm fatalities in Caribbean islands including Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and in northern Venezuela, is expected to rise as communications are restored.Beryl's destructive power, coming so early in the hurricane season, shows the consequences of a warmer Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say human-caused climate change is fueling extreme weather.Weather forecasters say the storm is expected to move toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas late in the weekend.

  • Eastern Wisconsin community evacuated after floodwaters breach dam

    A dam in an eastern Wisconsin community has been breached, prompting people living downriver to be evacuated, the National Weather Service said Friday. The dam in Manawa along the Little Wolf River was breached about 1:45 p.m. by floodwaters, meteorologist Scott Cultice said. Manawa Police Chief Jason Severson estimated that a 50-foot-wide (15.2-meter-wide) area around the dam had eroded.

  • Shocking aerial photos show widespread devastation as Hurricane Beryl moves through Caribbean

    Hurricane Beryl ‘flattened’ Carriacou Island and destroyed thousands of buildings in the eastern Caribbean

  • Jamaicans hunt for crabs after Hurricane Beryl

    STORY: :: Jamaicans go hunting for crabs stirred up by Hurricane Beryl:: Hellshire Beach, Jamaica"Well when it rains a lot, crabs come up so as much, well, when we get enough rain when the water comes up crabs start (undetectable) earns up. And so we just come out enjoy ourselves and catch as much as we can.""It's my first time coming here and my first time doing this and actually catching a crab. Most people are cowards, which I'm not and I caught one, so big one me.""After the hurricane or after rain, actually, the crabs tend to come up and crab is like another delicacy for Jamaicans, you know. So yeah man, this is just our way of, "having fun" (off screen) having fun, right."The crab hunting at Hellshire Beach was made possible by the passing of Hurricane Beryl, bringing activity and community spirit to the beach.

  • Fusion power could transform how we get our energy — and worsen problems it’s intended to solve

    Some processes that support fusion energy fuel climate change and may harm the environment.

  • Beryl's waves flood Grand Cayman condo complex

    STORY: :: Hurricane Beryl's waves flood a Grand Cayman condo complex:: July 4, 2024:: Prospect, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands:: Filip GalbavyThe video also showed a flooded parking lot and paths submerged under water, with high waves crashing against the shore. The once-sturdy seawall of the complex has been destroyed, with sea rocks scattered across the garden, emphasizing the storm's power. The relentless high waves and strong winds continue to batter the shore, compounding the damage.Residents and officials are now assessing the full extent of the devastation, with recovery and rebuilding efforts expected to be substantial.

  • 'Albino Brown Bear' Airlifted to Arctic After Being Mistaken for Polar Bear?

    Some have nicknamed Joey the “unluckiest bear in the world.”

  • Farm welcomes new 'chunk' calf after caesarean section

    Farmers at nearby Roves Farm had quite a dramatic evening after one of their calves needed to be born via caesarean section.

  • Green MP opposes 100-mile corridor of wind farm pylons in his Suffolk constituency

    The joint leader of the Green Party is planning to oppose net zero plans backed by the Labour Government to build pylons in Suffolk to transport offshore wind power.

  • Analysis-China, struggling to make use of a boom in energy storage, calls for even more

    BEIJING (Reuters) -Rows of what look like thin, white shipping containers are lined up on a barren dirt field in China's Shandong province. Filled with batteries, they form a 795 megawatt (MW) plant that can hold up to 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity - enough to power 150,000 households for a day, making it China's largest such storage facility when it was connected to the grid last Saturday. Built by Lijin County Jinhui New Energy Co, the project is part of an explosion in development of energy storage in China, which has called for even more investment in the sector to boost renewable electricity and ease grid bottlenecks.