A terrifying waterspout was seen descending off the coast of the Philippines before a storm.

Footage shows the twister's well-defined funnel touching down from dark clouds over the sky in Guihulngan town, Negros Oriental province on June 10.

Onlooker Bryan Carlo Ybanez said: 'The clouds were so dark at the time. Then, the huge gray funnel formed and lasted for more than 20 minutes. After that, it rained hard all night.'

The local disaster office said the waterspout did not cause any injuries or property damage.

Waterspout tornadoes 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 pockets of warm air near the water surface rise suddenly.

Cooler air is then sucked into the low-pressure air, which picks up water and rises towards the clouds in a rotating motion.

They very rarely damage buildings as they dissipate when they reach land. However, they are dangerous of boats caught in their path or aircraft that fly through them.