Waterspout spotted off Hong Kong’s Lamma Island

A waterspout has been spotted off Hong Kong’s Lamma Island, with thunderstorms hitting the city.

The Observatory said the waterspout, known as a water tornado in Chinese, was seen by residents in the sea near Lamma, in southern Hong Kong, around 1pm on Sunday.

“A waterspout is a water column rapidly rotating, interlaced with water droplets that connects to the water from the base of a convective cloud,” the forecaster said in a social media post.

Video clips shared by the forecaster showed a water pillar connecting the sea surface and clouds, whirling and moving among sailing boats.

At the time, heavy clouds had formed above the area and a thunderstorm warning was in force.

According to the Observatory, waterspouts are more commonly seen from June to August, with just three sighted in October since 1959, when records began.