A large waterspout was captured spiralling over a lake in eastern China.

The video was filmed in Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province on August 25.

Eyewitness Mr Chen shared that around 2:00 pm, under a gloomy sky, the mesmerizing act followed a clap of thunder. This water funnel descended slowly from the sky, making its journey across the lake before concluding its run near Huanhu South Road, all within a span of roughly 10 minutes.

Guo Yuguang from Ningbo Meteorological Station elucidated that the waterspout is, in fact, a tornado occurring on water. The top of this water tornado connects with thunderclouds while its lower end stretches right to the water's surface.

With rapid air rotations around its axis, water is pulled into the vortex, creating an upward swirl. Despite its small scale, its intensity is robust and can be destructive. Guo advised the public to keep their distance when encountering such a phenomenon.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

8月25日，浙江宁波东钱湖湖面惊现“龙吸水”奇观，很多市民从多角度拍摄到了这一奇观。据目击者陈先生介绍，下午2点左右，天空阴沉沉的， “龙吸水”是在雷声之后开始的，从天空上慢慢往下延伸到湖面，接着水柱开始在湖面上跑，跑到环湖南路上时就结束了，持续了有10分钟左右。
宁波气象台工作人员郭宇光介绍，龙吸水是发生在水面上的龙卷风，龙吸水的上端与雷雨云相接下端直接延伸到水面，空气绕龙卷的轴快速旋转，所以水流就会被吸入涡旋的底部，并随即形成向上的涡流。龙吸水经常在强对流天气下发生，尺度虽小但强度较大，有一定的破坏力，遇到要尽量远离。