TORNADOES out to sea across the Comunidad Valenciana yesterday (Friday) evening sparked alarm and curiosity among bathers on beaches in Alboraia (Valencia province), and Jávea and Guardamar del Segura at the far north and south of the province of Alicante.
Normally a prelude to the so-called gota fría, when warm and cold air collide and produce torrential rain, flash floods and high winds for several days on the Mediterranean, tornadoes out to sea are surprisingly common and do not cause damage or injury as they are too far from land.
That said, the tornado in Guardamar del Segura did touch terra firma, striking farm fields inland from the coast,and caused minor damage to greenhouses.
Some of these dramatic wind-funnels reached up to 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) high, according to witnesses, meaning the top of the 'tubes' would have been level with planes flying overhead.
The southern half of the province of Valencia and the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Almería are currently on 'orange alert' for freak storms due to the presence of what is known as a 'DANA', or Depresión Aislada a Niveles Altas ('Isolated Depression at High Altitudes') set to sweep the east and south-east this weekend and over the early part of next week.
