Footage shows a long waterspout that formed over a river near residential homes in the Philippines.

Onlooker Jojomar Doctor-De Leon captured the rare weather event near his home on June 10 in Nueva Ecija province.

He said: ‘I was surprised that the raindrops seemed so heavy and when I saw the back of our house there was a scary and a big tornado over us. It took more than fifteen minutes before it disappeared.’

Fair weather waterspouts like that seen in the video are most commonly found in subtropical areas and usually disappear shortly after they come into contact with land.

They form when winds merge from opposite directions near the water’s surface, creating a small area of spin. Sudden warm air at the surface causes the spinning air to rotate faster and it starts to rise – picking up water at the same time.

Sometimes the air spins so fast that it stretches and a funnel appears from the water to the thunderstorm cloud above.

Waterspouts are generally not dangerous but they can be a risk for aircraft flying through the area and for coral reefs and marine life in the water immediately below. Sailors should also try to avoid waterspouts – as the consequences of floating into one could be disastrous.