An unexpected tornado with gusts of up to 100 kilometers caused panic in northern neighborhoods of Santo Domingo, primarily affecting slum areas yesterday afternoon. Four injured persons were reported in Ensanche Luperón and the Simón Bolívar neighborhoods, but houses in Gualey, Las Cañitas, Ensanche Espaillat, Los Mina, Katanga, Vietnam and Capotillo were also said to have been affected. A fallen street sign destroyed the vehicle of an employee of Hoy newspaper. The tornado lifted trees, light street posts and tumbled commercial street signs during the estimated 10 minutes that it lasted. Weather Department spokesman Jose Guerrero told Listín Diario that it was caused by the rising currents of hot mid-day air pulled up by a cold front that created cumulonimbus clouds. These in turn generated strong winds that upon touching the ground dispersed into winds of 60-80 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour. He said the tornados of this kind are hard to predict. In case of being caught in a wind of the sort, pedestrians should go inside, avoiding street signs, light posts or trees.
