Video: This was the moment a spectacular whirlwind surprised drivers in a Malaga town

The unstable spring weather and the wind yesterday led to the formation of an eye-catching tube-shaped whirlwind, which surprised many drivers in the Guadalhorce valley municipality of Cártama in Malaga province.

Candela García shared a video on her X profile, which shows the several-metre-high, well-defined structure of the air tube.

The last such appearance of a whirlwind in the province was also recorded in the month of May. It happened between Mijas and Fuengirola last year.

In Spain, the phenomenon is called 'tolvanera'. Around the world, it is also known as 'dust devil', especially when it is very noticeable on the surface, from where it lifts sand and light objects.

Head of SUR's 'Tormenta y Rayos' weather blog José Luis Escudero said: "'Tolvaneras' were very frequent years ago. They form mostly in summer, on dry days, with wind and temperature differences at various layers, which lead to these whirlwinds."

These phenomena should not be confused with tornadoes or other much more extreme meteorological occurrences. "They are quite common in flat areas like Antequera and storm-chasers can even get inside them, but nothing serious happens - they just get filled up with dust and sand," Escudero said. The wind gusts in these cases range between 20 and 40km/h. It is the contrast between the dryness of the ground, the wind and the temperature that causes the dust cloud to rise.