Tornado Could Reach Ufa, Climatologist Warns

Last week, tornadoes swept through Bashkortostan (one, two): terrifying funnels were captured in several districts at once. Fortunately, serious consequences were avoided, but the very fact is that what we only saw in foreign films or in the news has now become our reality. Associate Professor of the Institute of Nature and Man at Ufa University of Science and Technology (UUiT) Rita Kamalova told UFA1.RU how dangerous these whirlwinds are for us and whether they can reach Ufa.

The expert, by the way, says that in some places the same phenomenon may be called a tornado or a trombe, not just a twister.

According to Rita Kamalova, there is still no clear understanding of where they come from. But the basic mechanism works like this: in hot weather, contrasts in temperature and humidity are created at the surface and in the atmosphere. When air rises, an area of low atmospheric pressure forms.

«This is also facilitated by uneven heating of the surface. In such a situation, powerful cumulonimbus clouds with thunderstorms and gusts of wind form. And under certain conditions, the air twists into a kind of funnel. Wind speeds in these formations are extremely strong,» explains Rita Kamalova.

She notes that, moreover, a tornado is a pretty powerful thing.

That«s true: it demolishes houses, trees, and much more, as we have already seen in the Uchalinsky District. In one of the iconic films on this topic, by the way, there was a scene where a whirlwind carries away a cow.

However, Rita Kamalova says that a tornado is very rare for Bashkortostan, and the appearance of two in one month is «colossally many».

«In the context of global warming, dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena are not only becoming more frequent, but their intensity is increasing. Two tornadoes in one month for the territory of our republic is colossally many, and if we take into account that tornadoes were also recorded in neighboring regions, then this is simply unprecedented. Well, and of course, the danger of a tornado is that it can appear anywhere, it is very difficult to predict such things,» emphasized the associate professor of UUiT.

In her opinion, scientists and forecasters need to revise climate norms and select measures to adapt to climate change.

As a result of the disaster, there were no casualties or deaths among people or animals, fortunately. Some houses were damaged, and some settlements were left without electricity.

Of note, over the past 13 years, at least 10 tornadoes have been recorded in Bashkortostan (including two in 2026): in 2024 in the Abzelilovsky District, in 2023 in the Baymaksky District, in 2019 in the Pavlovka area, in 2018 in the Khaibullinsky District, in 2017 in the Uchalinsky District (on the same Lake Urgun) and Alsheyevsky Districts. In 2014 there was the most destructive one: it affected the Krasnokamsky, Kaltasinsky, and Yanaulsky districts, damaging more than 400 houses, killing two people, and injuring dozens. In 2013, a tornado in the Aurgazinsky District damaged dozens of structures.