Heavy rains on Aug. 8 delivered a strange surprise to the town of Berkeley in Gloucestershire. After the deluge stopped, locals found seaweed in their gardens, as well as on their cars and houses.
Berkeley is less than two miles from the estuary of the River Severn, the U.K.’s longest river, and is situated north east of Bristol.
An expert with the U.K.’s national weather service thinks the seaweed probably traveled via a twister from Clevedon Beach, 20 miles away in North Somerset where thunderstorms were reported that day, including one viewed by satellite.
“If one of the funnel clouds touched down onto the beach, making it a tornado, it could have quite possibly picked up the seaweed and other debris if the tide was out and then later dumped it down the road at Berkeley Heath,” Ian Fergusson at the Met Office told The Telegraph.
“It is a very strange event, but it is possible. Look out for fish in your garden too!”
Berkeley residents Richard and Kay Overton were busy clearing up the algae in their garden with their daughter Liz.
“I looked out of the window after a very big storm finished and to my amazement there were lots of flakes of seaweed scattered over the garden,” Mr. Overton said, according to The Telegraph.
“I’ve heard stories of fish being picked up and dumped by storms but never seaweed. I was just so surprised.”
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