Rare natural phenomenon filmed on video in northern Kazakhstan

A video filmed at Lake Maly Tarangul in the Shal Akyn district of North Kazakhstan Region has surfaced online. The footage shows a rotating column of air stretching from the clouds down to the water's surface.

"We've lived to see it—now we have tornadoes," says the person filming. "Look at that noise approaching! It's already here!"

"It's sucking the water out of the lake, look—the water level is already dropping," jokes another witness.

Our correspondent Tengrinews.kz reached out to the regional Department of Emergency Situations for comment.

"Local district authorities confirmed that this natural phenomenon did indeed occur. Fortunately, there was no damage or secondary consequences. It remained exclusively over the lake," commented Yevgeniy Zhuravlev, spokesperson for the North Kazakhstan Department of Emergency Situations.

The regional branch of Kazhydromet stated that the video lacks information regarding the time and place of filming, making it impossible to definitively establish when and where it was captured.

"Furthermore, we do not have an observation post at Maly Tarangul. Therefore, we can neither confirm nor deny this fact. However, theoretically, a tornado can form over a lake if certain conditions are met," Natalya Levina, deputy director of the branch, told Tengrinews.kz.

Such conditions include varying wind directions and air temperature differentials at high altitudes. For instance, a tornado occurs when cold and warm air masses collide. Warm air rushes upward through a cumulonimbus cloud, twisting into a spiral. Atmospheric pressure drops inside the funnel, causing it to act like a giant vacuum cleaner, pulling in water, dust, and any objects in its path.

"However, there have been no officially registered cases of tornadoes in the region," Natalya Levina concluded.

It is worth noting that a storm warning was issued for North Kazakhstan Region on July 3 due to rain and thunderstorms. Forecasters reported that heavy rain, hail, squalls, and wind gusts of 23-28 meters per second were expected in the west, north, and east of the region.

A storm warning has also been issued for Saturday, July 4.

"On July 4, North Kazakhstan Region expects rain and thunderstorms, with heavy rain, hail, and squalls in the west, north, and south. Fog is expected in the west and north of the region during the night and morning. Southwesterly winds will gust to 15-20 meters per second at night, and reach 15-20 meters per second during the day, with gusts of 25 meters per second in the west and south. In Petropavlovsk, rain, thunderstorms, daytime hail, and squalls are expected on July 4, with southwesterly winds up to 20 meters per second," Kazhydromet reported.