Although Inumet defined the phenomenon that occurred in Paysandú last Monday as “a sweeping wind” and ruled out the possibility that it was a tornado, due to the directionality of the damage and the intensity of the winds (up to 120km/h)the meteorologist Guillermo Ramis, said in his speech on radio Sarandí that it was an “F1 Tornado”, a phenomenon characterized by gusts of wind of up to 180 km/h.
The meteorologist considered that the station that recorded gusts of wind of up to 120 km/h is not representative, since it is located at the Paysandú Airport, seven kilometers from the affected area. Instead, Ramis assures that, based on the damage – smashed silos, ripped roofs – the winds must have reached 181 km/h.
The meteorologist Nubel Cisneros, meanwhile, stopped at a midpoint. consulted by The Observer, defined the phenomenon as “a squall”. He explained that it was a “line of storms” that began around six in the morning, which intensified promptly around 7 AM and then withdrew, leaving behind the cold front with which it arrived.
Cisneros agreed that, according to the photographs of the damage, the gusts of wind must have been greater than 120 km/h, I estimate that they could have been around 140 km/h.
The storm left one person in serious condition, 14 families evacuated and 28 landslides, according to the director of the National Emergency System (Sinae), Sergio Rico.
