A CLOUD in the skies above Northwich which could have become a tornado has been captured by a photographer.

Peter Prost spotted the funnel cloud phenomenon at around 1.40pm on Saturday, August 26, while out walking in Kingsmead.

According to the Met Office, a funnel cloud or 'tuba' is an extending, spinning finger of cloud which reaches towards the ground, but doesn't touch it. If a funnel cloud does reach the ground, it becomes a tornado.

On the Met Office website, it says: "A funnel cloud is a cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface.

"In the UK they often look like thin dangling bits of rope, hanging from the cloud above. But in hotspots such as tornado alley in the USA, funnel clouds can sometimes be thicker and much more intense.

"Crucially, a funnel cloud does not reach the earth's surface, at the point it reaches land it becomes a tornado, or if it reaches a body of water it becomes a waterspout.

"In a typical year, the UK sees around 30-35 tornadoes each year, though it is very rare that are they strong enough to cause any significant damage."

Funnel clouds are formed when a rotating column of wind draws in cloud droplets, making an area of intense low pressure visible.