Tumbleweeds might be an iconic symbol in Western films to convey a sense of emptiness, but that couldn’t be further from the truth in this short clip.

The video shows a torrent of tumbleweeds being blasted by 50 mph (80 km/h) winds. The incredible footage was shot by Tom Forwood Jr. in Bozeman, Montana, on Wednesday, December 9.

"The [thousands] of Spiny Russian Thistles blew by and continued to pile up on [and] over a vertical surface facing west," Mr Forwood said, according to The Telegraph.