A small tornado hit the outskirts of Omagh, Co Tyrone last night.
Fierce winds with gusts of over 70 mph battered buildings and cars during the brief but violent storm.
There were no reported injuries, but several buildings were damaged and at least three cars were overturned.
A Northern Ireland Met Office spokesman said although funnel clouds that do not touch the ground are often mistaken for tornadoes, this appeared to be the real thing.
Sudden rises in temperature can cause winds to pick up dramatically and today's high of 16°C could have caused the sudden storm.
