A mini tornado hit Lunama in Ambalantota last afternoon completely damaging three houses and partially damaging three houses. According to the Disaster Management Centre, the tornado hit last afternoon around 12.30 p.m. travelling a distance of 50 km. A tree was uprooted blocking the road but it was cleared in the evening by the Disaster Management Centre. The Disaster Management Centre said the tornado had come from the direction of the sea and had later returned towards the seaside. A tornado is a violent rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus or in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They come in many sizes, but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris. Tornados can occur any time and are unpredictable according to Disaster Management Centre.