A Pitt Meadows man watched in wonder as the stems from a fresh cut of hay twirled in the air, 50 meters off the ground.
In his 56 years, Mark Richmond had never seen anything like the ‘hay tornado’ in person. The whirlwind occurred on June 2, while he was working at Hopcott Farms, at about 1:15 p.m.
He said it was silent, taller than the trees nearby, and about 10 meters in diameter.
They are rare in B.C., and happen when rising hot air from the ground creates a spinning vortex.
There was a tornado reported in Pitt Meadows in 1991, and five years ago there was a tornado at the UBC golf course in Vancouver.