Visitors of the Walt Disney Company’s Epcot theme park in Florida were in for a potentially unpleasant surprise Thursday when a funnel cloud was briefly spotted in the area.
As New York Post explains, this development occurred as “strong thunderstorms” moved through Central Florida, producing gusty winds and heavy rainfall.
According to the newspaper, low-hanging clouds appeared in areas southwest of Orlando, i.e. where Epcot is located, around 6:20 p.m.
The US National Weather Service did warn that brief funnel clouds may emerge amid the storm in the area, noting that, while these types of clouds are harmless, they can “briefly touch down” on rare occasions, “producing wind gusts over 50 mph.”
The funnel cloud spotted near the theme park, however, apparently never touched down and thus was not designated as a tornado, the newspaper points out.