Within recent weeks, tornadoes have torn through various states across the U.S., with many leaving immense destruction in their wake.
But one tornado that touched down in South Dakota on Saturday (June 15) was unlike any other y’all have seen this year.
Radar imagery captured the tornado, which touched down northeast of the city of Estelline, South Dakota. And the images show something that we hardly ever see when it comes to tornadoes in the U.S.
The tornado was turning clockwise.
While tornadoes occur infrequently in South Dakota, the June 15th tornado near Estelline, SD was even more rare: it was an "anticyclonic" tornado. Check out our website for additional details: https://t.co/K7i2MqWq11 #SDwx pic.twitter.com/7pg8clCvGt
— NWS Aberdeen (@NWSAberdeen) June 17, 2019
According to The Weather Channel, only 1% of all tornadoes that touch down in the Northern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
“In the Northern Hemisphere, high-pressure systems spin anticyclonically, while low-pressure systems rotate cyclonically, or counterclockwise,” The Weather Channel website explains.
So the clockwise-turning tornado that touched down in South Dakota was a rare (and terrifying) sight to behold. The state doesn’t see many tornadoes at all, let alone clockwise-turning ones.
Thankfully, the tornado was only on the ground for about 45 seconds and was rated as an EF0-level tornado. That means the storm was classified as being “weak” and caused minimal damage.
A few motorists happened to capture some footage of the tornado after it touched down, and the clips are mesmerizing to watch. You can check them out below.
Have you ever seen a clockwise-rotating tornado before?
https://www.facebook.com/sean.lesnar/videos/2475439449179275/