Northern Ireland’s latest spell of wacky weather continued yesterday when a Co Antrim man caught on camera what appeared to be the beginnings of a tornado.

John McConnell had set up his telescope and camera in his back garden on the Meadows estate in Maghaberry to try and catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse.

The Belfast Telegraph reader was overwhelmed when he saw a funnel descend from the clouds.

“I looked out the front window and this massive thing was coming down out of the clouds,” said Mr McConnell.

“I dropped everything and ran to get the camera.

“It had a fairly long funnel size. On the very bottom there was a sort of thread but I don’t think it touched the ground.”

The sighting is just the latest twist in a week which has seen one of Northern Ireland’s hottest days on Monday followed swiftly by almost torrential rain spells at the end of the week.

The Met Office’s John Wylie said such incidents were not uncommon at this time of year.

“There are some very heavy thunderstorms and showers around at the moment,” he said.

“Very occasionally you do get funnels descending from the bottom of the cloud. You call them funnel clouds. They would have to be on the ground before you call them a tornado.”