Residents were terrified after a huge waterspout appeared off the coast of Indonesia.

Resident Jalan recorded the footage of a large ocean tornado outside her window on January 20 in Wonogiri district in Central Java.

She said: ‘It was so big and very terrifying. This was our first time to witness this kind of phenomenon.’

Waterspouts are intense columns of swirling tornado clouds that form over a body of water. They are most commonly found in subtropical areas and disappear shortly after they come into contact with land.

Scientists believe they are formed when warm seawater laden with moisture rapidly evaporates and cools slower than the surrounding dry air. This leads to instability in the air and updrafts.

Shifting winds near the water’s surface then mix with the rising clouds to form a swirling vortex, giving rise to the narrow tornado-like shape cloud.