A violent storm ripped through the Philippine capital Manila on Wednesday, forcing motorists to take shelter from the sudden downpour.

The squalls battered San Lazaro Street in the city's Santa Cruz district on June 22. Tricycle drivers were seen parking their vehicles by the roadside to avoid being blown away while waiting for the stormy weather to subside.

Footage shows the destructive winds swirling tornado-like as they tore down tree branches, toppled down a motorcycle, and reduced visibility on the road.

Local media said several roads in Manila were still impassable early June 23 morning due to uprooted trees blocking the way.

National weather agency PAGASA said in its June 22 forecast: 'Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localised thunderstorms, with possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.'

The Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are at the start of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until October or November.

Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods.

A squall is a sudden increase in wind speed that lasts for several minutes. They are often accompanied by heavy rain.