Huge Waterspout Forms Off Italian Coast. Rare Phenomenon Caught On Camera

A waterspout that turned into a tornado on land lashed the coastal city of Sanremo in northwestern Italy on Friday causing damage to property. Several people who witnessed the rare phenomenon first-hand shared videos on social media.

The whirling waterspout was filmed wreaking havoc at the harbour in Sanremo. It moved inland towards the city quickly where it damaged roofs and vehicles within minutes, BBC reported. According to several reports, no person was seriously injured in the freak weather phenomenon. According to The Telegraph, the beach was closed before the waterspout moved towards the coast.

A video shared by Twitter user "steasdami" showed the funnel-like waterspout forming just off the coast.
 

Tromba marina a San Remo 1 dicembre 2017 pic.twitter.com/l4qkHL5Cs4

— stefania (@steasdami) December 2, 2017

Another video by Instagram user "rudi.grg" showed the waterspout rotating eerily and inching towards the shore.
 

 

#tornado#day#sanremo #liguria#italy

A post shared by Rudi G. (@rudi.grg) on Dec 1, 2017 at 4:21am PST

Perhaps the most dramatic, video by YouTube user "Mauro Ciuffi" showed the enormous waterspout spinning spookily over water, almost making it seem extra-terrestrial (think Abbott and Costello from "Arrival").



Waterspouts are funnels of cloud and mist that form over water bodies and start spinning. A waterspout's average lifespan is about 5-10 minutes.

Click for more trending news