What looked like a tornado swirling amid heavy rain in Woodlands left residents reaching for their phones on Sept 30.<\/p>\n
But was it really a tornado?<\/p>\n
Two Stompers shared videos of the unusual weather phenomenon, which was spotted at about 3pm as a thunderstorm swept through the area.<\/p>\n
Stomper A<\/strong> recorded the swirling column from his home at Woodlands Drive 75.<\/p>\n He said there was a sudden strong gust of wind followed by a downpour, with the phenomenon lasting about two minutes.<\/p>\n It was the first time he had seen anything like it in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cWitnessing the force of nature is definitely a rare sight for me,\u201d he told Stomp.<\/p>\n He believed the phenomenon was a landspout, although he said he was unsure whether there was a body of water nearby as the area appeared to be within a restricted military compound.<\/p>\n Another resident, Ken<\/strong>, spotted the phenomenon from his home near Woodlands Avenue 12 at about 2.50pm.<\/p>\n He had received a rain alert and gone to his living room to close the windows when he was greeted by the unusual sight.<\/p>\n It was also Ken\u2019s first time witnessing such a phenomenon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s spectacular! And it happened just in front of me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After searching online, Ken wondered if what he had seen was a landspout.<\/p>\n Just three days earlier, another funnel-shaped cloud was spotted in Clementi.<\/p>\n Stomper Steve <\/strong>said he witnessed the phenomenon over the Clementi Stadium playing fields at about 11.25am on Sept 27 from The Parc Condominium.<\/p>\n He did not record it himself but received a video of the sighting via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n According to Steve, the phenomenon lasted only about 10 seconds before it disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cI think anyone witnessing this firsthand would feel it is an extraordinary and spectacular sighting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Steve also believed he had witnessed a landspout.<\/p>\n In response to Stomp\u2019s queries, the Meteorological Service Singapore said cumulonimbus clouds brought intense thundery showers over Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon of Sept 27, and over northern and western Singapore on the afternoon of Sept 30.<\/p>\n \u201cThe clouds with a protrusion at their base, observed around Clementi on 27 September 2026 and around Woodlands on 30 September 2026, were likely funnel clouds,\u201d said the Met Service.<\/p>\n It explained that a funnel cloud forms beneath a cumulonimbus cloud as moist air feeds into the intensifying storm, producing a rotating column of winds.<\/p>\n Whether such a funnel becomes a landspout or waterspout depends on whether it reaches the surface.<\/p>\n \u201cFunnel clouds that reach ground or sea level are known as landspouts or waterspouts, respectively,\u201d the Met Service said.<\/p>\n Typically, landspouts and waterspouts last several minutes before dissipating once the thunderstorm weakens.<\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s first recorded landspout<\/a> occurred exactly seven years before the Clementi sighting, on Sept 27, 2019.<\/p>\n It was sighted for several minutes at Gul Way in Tuas<\/a> after an intense thunderstorm developed over the area.<\/p>\n The resulting strong winds ripped off parts of the roof of a factory building.<\/p>\n Another landspout was recorded at the Changi East construction site on April 30, 2023, sending debris flying through the air<\/a>. No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n The Met Servicesaid at the time that landspouts were \u201cextremely rare\u201d in Singapore and \u201cextremely difficult\u201d to predict due to their highly localised and rare nature.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSimilar sighting in Clementi three days earlier<\/h2>\n
What is a funnel cloud and how does it form?<\/h2>\n
Previous landspout sightings in Singapore<\/h2>\n
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