Success of Z-list movie Sharknado leads Discovery and The Weather Channel to surf wave of shark interest

The whirlwind of hype surrounding B-movie Sharknado continues at gale force as even The Weather Channel has looked to get in on the act.

This week, according to the US broadcasting station, is Hurricane Week, and if viewers were to flick over to Discovery, it just happens to coincide with the 26 annual Shark Week.

Sharknado, which was shown on the Syfy network, follows residents of Los Angeles who have to survive on the streets from attacks by sharks sucked up by a tornado.

To cash in on the back of the extraordinary success of low budget movie Sharknado, which had a string of celebrity endorsements ranging from Olivia Wilde and Patton Oswalt to Mia Farrow, the channel has released a new advert.

To promote weather week its television spot shows a shark carried off in a strong wind, with the president of the channel David Clark telling HuffPo that it was a “having a little fun with this serious topic”. Sadly it did not coincide with the channel’s Tornado Week which does not come around until the spring.

Discovery has booked Sharknado star Tara Reid onto one of its shows to tie in with Shark Week and the producers of the movie are working on a sequel set in New York.