Snow Devil Forms in Shetland Islands, as Cold Snap Hits UK

A farming couple in Scotland’s Shetland Islands encountered an unusual weather phenomenon on March 7 when a snow devil formed as they were out feeding their sheep during the wintry weather.

Michael Peterson posted video of the twister to Facebook. He told Storyful his wife, Frances, shot it on his phone.

The rare phenomenon is said to occur when surface wind shear acts to generate a vortex over snow cover. It is sometimes referred to as a “snownado”.

Weather warnings for snow and ice were in place in the UK on March 7 and 8 as a cold snap hit. Credit: Michael Peterson via Storyful

Video transcript

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