A Winchester travel agency was caught up in the ‘mini tornado’ that hit Hampshire at lunchtime on Tuesday.
Staff at Roger Walker Travel in Twyford lost power in the shop after they saw the tornado pass their door.
Assistant manager Louise Davies said: “It came out of nowhere and was going mad outside – then a few minutes later it was gone.
“The office was pretty dark and quiet after that, and we came into a backlog of work this morning.”
The storm also passed by Flight Centre in Crawley. A spokeswoman said: “The wind was howling outside and we saw another shop’s displays flying down the street. We stayed safe inside the shop.”
The Met Office confirmed that the tornado swept through Romsey, across to Winchester and east to the Petersfield and Liss area in Hampshire.
The freak weather, which was accompanied by strong winds and torrential rain, caused damage to cars and buildings, but no-one was injured.