Surrey Hit With Catnado

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Posted by samzenpus on Monday January 27, 2014 @02:55AM from the raining-cats-and-more-cats dept.

taikedz writes "A "mini-tornado" brought down trees, damaged property and even lifted cats in the air, an eyewitness has said. Shirley Blay, who keeps horses at the Jolly Blossom Stables on Station Road, Chobham, told BBC Surrey: 'It was a mini-tornado, I can't describe it as anything less. It started with very heavy rain, hailstones and very strong wind and all of a sudden, the wind was very, very strong, to the point of lifting roofs. We've got four feral cats in the yard and they were being lifted off the ground — about 6ft off the ground — they just went round like a big paper bag.' She said the people and animals who were caught up in the storm were uninjured. A spokesman from Valgrays Animal Rescue in Warlingham said: 'It was like something out of a Steven Spielberg film.'

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Hundreds or thousands by i+kan+reed · 2014-01-27 02:59 · Score: 3, Interesting

There are hundreds to thousands of real, super destructive tornadoes each year, I don't get why a particularly weak one is of note. We didn't even get a "scientists baffled" tagline.
1. Re:Hundreds or thousands by Big+Hairy+Ian · 2014-01-27 03:03 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Because it hit Cobham and did millions of pounds worth of renovation :D
  
  --
  Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
2. Re:Hundreds or thousands by CanHasDIY · 2014-01-27 03:13 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Because, how often do you get to use the word "catnado," much less actually see it happen?
  Here's hoping someone caught it on film and is uploading to the net as we type.
  
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  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
3. Re:Hundreds or thousands by mattie_p · 2014-01-27 03:40 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Because, how often do you get to use the word "catnado," much less actually see it happen?
  Here's hoping someone caught it on film and is uploading to the net as we type.
  Seriously. Pics or it didn't happen.
4. Re:Hundreds or thousands by Hypotensive · 2014-01-27 04:30 · Score: 2
  
  Chobham is a good 12 miles away from Cobham.
5. Re:Hundreds or thousands by TheCarp · 2014-01-27 04:30 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  You clearly don't understand news.
  "When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M... )
  It doesn't matter that more people are hurt by dogs biting them then dogs hurt by men biting them, it is all about frequency and expectation. If you can tell some random person on the street "X happened" and they are shocked, then its news. if they shrug and say "no shit, it happens every day" then its not news.
  
  --
  "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
6. Re:Hundreds or thousands by Big+Hairy+Ian · 2014-01-27 04:38 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  It is now :)
  
  --
  Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
7. Re:Hundreds or thousands by wonkey_monkey · 2014-01-27 04:38 · Score: 2
  
  I'm even betting the man who wrote the screenplay for the epic "Sharknado" is on the case.
  Someone wrote that? I assumed it was the result of a buffer overflow.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
WTF Slashdot by sanosuke001 · 2014-01-27 03:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

What is this, the local fucking news?

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-SaNo
1. Re:WTF Slashdot by J'raxis · 2014-01-27 03:08 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Clickbait.
  
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  Liberty in your lifetime
2. Re:WTF Slashdot by mattie_p · 2014-01-27 03:46 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I still expect some level of quality from idle. I don't want to see pictures of your mother's cat.
  If the cat is flying in circles due to being caught in a mini-tornado, then I do want to see pictures of your mother's cat.
Hello I'm british by CdBee · 2014-01-27 03:08 · Score: 2

We get tornadoes, just not often. Perhaps a few dozen a year - in my life I've only seen one once (I was driving at night and it crossed the road from one side to the other 100 yards in front of me - scared the crap out of me).

As a result they are much discussed over cups of tea when they occur. The national obsession with cats has made this the news story of the year

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I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
1. Re:Hello I'm british by Charliemopps · 2014-01-27 04:23 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  What you saw is a large "Dust devil" I've seen those to. About the size of an office building.
  A REAL tornado you can't be within 100 yards of. They reach from the ground to the sky and are usually anywhere from a few dozen yards wide to miles wide at the base. I've survived 2 of those, and if it were an actual tornado, you probably would have crapped yourself for real.
Re:weather report by geogob · 2014-01-27 03:57 · Score: 2

But it's about cute cats!
Love this post by SeanBlader · 2014-01-27 04:05 · Score: 2

This post is perfect for a monday! It's about cats, it's on the internet, and it's about a tornado in England of all places. Along with that it's certainly due to be a Syfy movie of the week, following up after Sharknado, Sharkalanche, Sharkicane, and Sharkano.
Meteorologists has rated it by Ukab+the+Great · 2014-01-27 07:29 · Score: 2

cat gory 5 catnado.