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Tornado Captured on Australian Fire Surveillance Camera
10 Sep
Summary
- Australian fire tower camera automatically recorded tornado
- Twister emerged in mid-afternoon in Hilltops region of New South Wales
- Severe storm warning issued for damaging winds and large hail
On August 15th, 2025, an Australian fire surveillance camera set up to monitor for bushfires unexpectedly captured dramatic footage of a tornado towering over a thunderstorm-struck stretch of countryside in the Hilltops region of New South Wales.
Authorities issued a severe storm warning after the twister emerged in the mid-afternoon, swirling over a lightly forested rural area about 260 kilometers inland from Sydney. The fire tower camera automatically recorded images of the tornado's tail curling up from the ground into a dark cloud that covered the sky near the town of Young.
Emergency services warned locals of the damaging winds and large hailstones, advising people to stay indoors, move cars under cover, and secure loose items. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that another tornado had been sighted about 70 kilometers away an hour earlier.
Fire service towers are typically equipped with cameras to detect smoke and signs of heat, but they can also monitor storm cells due to the risk of lightning strikes causing grass fires. With high fuel loads in the grasslands following periods of rain and warm weather, the region remains at significant risk for bushfires this season.
