Possible funnel cloud rips roof from Hvalsø apartment

A possible funnel cloud tore part of a family’s roof away during dinner in Hvalsø on Sunday evening, DR reported. No one was injured.

Lilja Margit Barratt and her family were eating pasta at their apartment in Søtorvet when severe weather struck. Part of the roof was blown away, sending insulation into the living room through the opening where a roof window had been.

“It was really violent, like having a fighter jet come into the living room,” Barratt said. She added that she was relieved no glass had fallen onto the floor, where her grandchild had been playing.

The family moved furniture to protect it from the rain and began clearing up the debris. Workers remained at the apartment until 5.30am, leaving Barratt with only a few hours of sleep. She said she was now waiting for the insurance company to assess what would happen next.

Mid and West Zealand Police confirmed the incident in their daily report. Part of a supermarket roof was also damaged, while a trolley shelter at a neighbouring supermarket was blown over.

Radar showed signs of rotation

Anders Brandt, a meteorologist at DR Weather, said it was highly likely that a funnel cloud had caused the damage.

He said a powerful shower moved in from Sejerø Bay early in the evening, continued across northwestern Zealand and north of Tølløse, and reached Hvalsø at around 7pm.

Radar images showed a hook in the most intense part of the shower. Such a feature is typically where a funnel cloud forms, and the radar also showed signs of rotation as the shower passed over Hvalsø.

Winds were at storm force at an altitude of 1,500 metres and at hurricane force between five and six kilometres above the ground. Such large differences in wind speed higher up make it easier for air to begin rotating.

“We typically see funnel clouds several times a year in Denmark, but it is rare for them to cause significant damage,” Brandt said.