The sight of a tornado over moorland blew away a family.

The Happs family, who live in Beech Grove, Silsden, could not believe their eyes when they saw the twister making its way across Keighley moor towards Ilkley.

Les Happs says :"None of us could believe it when we saw the funnel. I rushed into the house for my camera. It is something you just don't expect to see in this country."

Les was joined in the garden by his wife Mandy and children Samantha and Joseph, who all watched in stunned silence.

The family spotted the twister at around noon last Wednesday, April 8, and reported it straight away to Leeds weather centre.

Paul Hudson, a Keighley weather expert who works there, told us: "As well as this sighting we received reports of two tornadoes in Doncaster on Monday, and one in Harrogate. "Conditions were perfect for them so I'm not surprised by another sighting in the Yorkshire area.

"There are between 20 and 80 tornadoes reported every year in the UK, so they are not as rare as people might think."

The tornado funnel which the family saw did not touch the ground. According to Paul, West Yorkshire is relatively safe from tornado damage bec-ause the funnels tend not to be able to touch the hilly terrain. Tornadoes only touch the ground in flat areas, which explains why so many occur with such devastating force on the vast North American plains.

Leeds weather centre relies on 12 observation sites throughout the north and sightings from the public to compile information about the powerful phenomena.

The twisters are formed by a rising column of warm air - propelled by a strong wind - which creates a funnel of swirling air in the base of the cloud. Recordings in the USA reveal they can reach speeds of up to 250 mph and rise to a great height, though they never exceed more than a few hundred metres in diameter.

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