A long thin waterspout swirled off the coast of the Philippines, triggering a tornado warning when it later crossed onto land.

The vortex began as a faint air column forming over the waters near Isla Verde in Batangas City, on June 28 afternoon.

However, its elephant trunk-shaped funnel touched down on the shore, prompting the city disaster office to raise the tornado warning over four barangays near the area.

Officials said 22 families were affected as the twister dumped rain, tore off roof houses, and temporarily knocked down power to the area. No one was reported injured.

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.