Qatar hit by tornado and hailstones ahead of World Cup quarter-finals

In one of many freak weather incidents, a tornado hit Qatar, according to posts circulating on social media. It was reported in the Ras Laffan Industrial City, around 50 miles north of the capital Doha. The meteorological department had earlier posted a warning about rain and asked people to be careful. Later it tweeted a video of the tornado.

"Continuation of observing scattered rain becomes thundery at times inshore and offshore. Please be careful," it wrote.

Dark clouds could be seen near the Al Khor Stadium. Most of the World Cup matches are being held here.

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Another tornado was spotted in Al Huwaylah, a town that lies abandoned on the north-east coast of Qatar. "Scattered rain and a decrease in temperatures are expected in the coming days," the department said.

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Tornadoes aren't a common occurrence in the Middle East. However, if they form, they aren't as strong, although they can cause a lot of damage if they hit a residential area. Several tornadoes were reported in Qatar in 2016.

The temperature in Qatar was 27 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and it is likely to drop further to 23-25 degrees over the next few days.

Qatar also witnessed heavy rains that also brought hailstones, pictures uploaded on Twitter showed.

The tournament is on a break and matches will resume on Friday. Brazil will play Croatia and Netherlands will take on Argentina in the quarter finals, while on Saturday, England plays France and Morocco takes on Portugal.

(With inputs from agencies)

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