Tornadoes do happen in Fiji and regional records show events as far back as the 1960s, but they are a rare occurrence, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) Director Misaele Funaki says. His comments stem from reports that a tornado had swept through parts of Nakasi and Nausori early this morning causing injury to three people and significant damage to buildings including homes, uprooted trees, displaced residents and injured two people. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States of America where the majority of the world’s tornados occur, this weather phenomenon is the most violent of all atmospheric storms. While they commonly occur in other parts of the world, records from the NOAA and the regional geoscience agency SOPAC (now a part of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community) say they’ve occurred in Fiji as far back as the 1960s. However, since 2016 there have been reports every year of tornadoes in Fiji, albeit small occurrences which did not cause damage. READ MORE - Read More