Twister pic causes social media flutter

IT STARTED out as a sunny day‚ just perfect for doing chores around the house and garden.

A whirlwind swept past. Minutes later‚ animal nutritionist Theunis Wessels‚ 43‚ found himself mowing the lawn against the backdrop of a raging tornado.

That moment‚ captured in a photograph‚ has gone viral across the globe. Wessels and his wife Cecelia‚ who took the shot‚ became overnight celebrities.

It was the first time‚ after having lived in Canada for seven years‚ that the couple had seen a tornado. Speaking to TMG from Alberta yesterday, they said they were flabbergasted by all the attention the photograph had received.

The picture was initially sent to Theunis’s in-laws in South Africa.

Soon it was being shared countless times on social media after being reposted by a friend who is an avid storm chaser in Canada.

“It was clear skies just before I started to mow the lawn.

“It was about 28°C outside, so this whirlwind comes through.

“In a few minutes time it formed a tornado. “I couldn’t believe it‚” he said. Cecelia‚ a swimming instructor‚ said: “When the first person called to have an interview with him he said‚ ‘no thank you’. By Sunday‚ when we were still being phoned for interviews‚ he asked: ‘Are we still doing this?’

Theunis said: “That was the first time we had seen a tornado. On average‚ there are about 16 tornadoes in the province.”

Theunis said he had attended a seminar a couple of months ago that was presented by storm chasers who explained what to look out for‚ how to be safe during a storm and what the danger signs were. Theunis said he wasn’t in any danger as the tornado was 5km away.

Cecelia said: “I have had people testing to see whether the photo is real or not‚ looking at whether everything is lining up as it should.”

TMG Facebook users also weighed in from South Africa.

Maretha van Zyl Marziale said: “It will cause a tornado the day my husband decides to mow the lawn.”

Andile KaMthembu quipped: “Lol the tornado should have been a good excuse not to mow the lawn.” — TMG

Picture: SUPPLIED ORDINARY LIFE: The photograph that South African Theunis Wessels’s wife took of him mowing their lawn at their home in Canada, as a massive tornado looms in the background