THOOTHUKUDI: A rare tornado-like phenomenon was reported at Vagaikulam on Sunday afternoon, causing extensive damage to a toll plaza on the Thoothukudi–Tirunelveli National Highway, a private amusement park, and parts of Thoothukudi airport.
According to sources, the swirling column of wind formed around 4.35 pm amid sporadic rainfall over Thoothukudi district. The vortex intensified as it moved from Vagaikulam village towards the airport.
On its path, the phenomenon uprooted trees and damaged private property and structures. At the Vagaikulam toll plaza, metal-sheet shelters were blown away, while cabins, pillars, electronic equipment, and solar panels were damaged. A private amusement park adjacent to the toll plaza also suffered severe destruction, with play equipment, shelters and rides completely damaged, an eyewitness, Jeyakumar, said.
The vortex then moved towards Thoothukudi airport, where it uprooted barricades and trees before losing intensity. However, airport operations were not significantly affected, official sources said.
Former head of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, S Balachandran, said the system appears to be a tornado, though further data is required for confirmation. “The interaction between daytime heating and sea breeze could have triggered the process,” he said. He added “Very hot air over land may have led to low-level atmospheric instability.”
Private weather analyst T Raja estimated wind speeds of 180–200 kmph, describing it as a rare event.
A senior fisheries department official said such vortices occur when warm air interacts with surrounding cool, moist air, creating intense rotational movement under unstable atmospheric conditions.