As many as 200 houses were damaged on Thursday morning when rotating columns of wind swept through pockets of Ashoknagar in North 24Parganas and Chakdah and Santipur in Nadia in two separate incidents.

The rotating column of wind was similar to the tornado-like system that rampaged through scores of houses in Chinsurah and Bandel on Tuesday before landing on the Naihati-Halisahar belt.

The fast-moving mass of wind swept through Chakdah and Santipur around 4.30am when most residents were asleep. Sources said they were awoken to a whistle-like sound with roof shades of several houses being blown away in seconds.

Local officials said a lookalike mass of rotating wind was seen moving above ward 22 of Ashoknagar around the same time and soon after, brought down at least 40 houses and several more roofs and shades.

The Met office could not confirm the reason behind the repeat storm that, according to eyewitnesses, closely resembled a tornado.

Known also as twisters, tornadoes look like vertical funnels or rapidly-spinning air connecting a thunderstorm to the ground. A moderate tornado can trigger a wind speed of about 100 kmph but more potent ones are capable of higher speed.

An official of the Nadia district administration said nearly 150 houses suffered serious damage in Thursday’s calamity. The district administration has since shifted most victims to safer places and is supplying them with essentials.

Hasibul Seikh, a resident of an affected zone in Santipur, said: “It was around 4.25am when I woke up to the blowing sound of a whistle. It was approaching fast. But, before I could realise anything, the room where I was sleeping felt a jolt and within a few seconds, the tin shade of the room flew away. Some pieces of tiles fell inside, but we escaped unhurt because of the mosquito net.”

A resident of Ashoknagar recounted a similar experience. “It was around 9.15 in the morning when I returned from the market. I heard a blowing sound. Some neighbours alerted me to a fastapproaching column of wind with a smoky colour, which within a few seconds brought down my house”.

An official of the North 24Parganas administration said: “We are preparing a list of persons who lost their homes. We have also taken photographs of the same. The list and the photographs will be submitted to the state government so that the affected can receive compensation.”

A senior professor attached to the Earth Science department of the Indian Institute of Science Education and ResearchKolkata said: “The reason behind such a sudden tornadolike column of wind is not clear to us. We have done no study on such localised tornadoes. This needs a more detailed study.”

In Birbhum, around 50 houses were damaged and many trees were uprooted in Muraroi’s Bishore area on Thursday afternoon after a tornadolike storm hit the area suddenly. Sources said it was around 1pm on Thursday when a tornadolike storm caused havoc at the remote village in Murshidabad border. Several electric posts and trees were uprooted in the storm and officials of the electricity department immediately cut the power supply of the area to avoid any untoward incident.

“It was a locally generated tornado like storm in Muraroi. Around 50 houses were damaged. We have sent relief materials immediately. No loss of life or injury reported,” said Bidhan Chadran Ray, the Birbhum district magistrate.