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An expert has explained why people saw what they thought was a “mini-tornado” passing through a city centre.
A swirling 30ft (10m) column of dirt rose into the air around Great Ancoats Street in Manchester on Saturday.
A meteorologist told the the phenomenon was a rare “dust devil”.
Alan Goodman, from the Met Office, said there had been “ideal combination of conditions” for the weather event.
Mr Goodman said: “It’s a rare occurrence in the UK, never mind in the middle of a UK city.”
Mr Goodman said the dust devil had formed over an “open patch of ground with a lot of dust”, following months of unusually dry weather.
He added: “The ground was very, very warm. When you get this very warm air near the ground it will rise.
“And then if you just get it right, the air starts to rush in from the sides and you get this sort of rotation motion.
“There was obviously enough dust from this patch of open ground and away it went.”
Mr Goodman reassured residents that, although it had the appearance of a mini-tornado, a dust devil was “nowhere near as dangerous or destructive”.
“But impressive nonetheless, and probably a first for Manchester,” he added.
