A huge waterspout tornado swirled near Vancouver International Airport in Canada on Saturday November 6, triggering a rare tornado watch in the Metro Vancouver region.

Onlooker Roel recorded the scary weather from Richmond City, British Columbia. He said: ‘It’s hard to see this while I’m filming through two windows, but it’s a legit tornado.’

The terrifying twister was spotted at 5:30 PM and grazed the University of British Columbia before dissipating after around 24 minutes.

Environment Canada said the weather event knocked down trees in the campus and also brought hail and strong winds of up to 110 kilometres an hour.

Meteorologists said it was the first tornado to touch down in the City of Vancouver in five decades.

Waterspout tornadoes form when wind merges from opposite directions near the water’s surface, creating a small area of spin. Warm air at the surface causes the spinning air to rotate faster and it starts to rise – picking up water at the same time and forming a cloud.