Twister spotted off the coast of Gwynedd

       The rare moment a “spinning sea tornado” formed off the coast of North Wales has been captured on camera by a local resident, warning people on the potential dangers of such “powerful” phenomena.

       The formation of the spinning column of water and air was filmed by Mark Kendall, 56, a builder and weather enthusiast from Tywyn.

       He spotted the uncommon sighting on his way to work by the Gwynedd resort of Tywyn on Thursday, NorthWales live reported.

       "It was there for about five minutes and it did touch down in the sea," Mark explained.

       "I follow the weather and you could just tell that something was going to happen."

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       The phenomenon is called a "waterspout" tornado and it can occur during showery weather conditions. (Image: Mark Tindall)

       Mr Kendall, a former firefighter, had come across the rare event before, explaining it was not the first time he had seen waterspouts and tornadoes in the area: "They are alright when they are at sea - people may say it's just a waterspout, but if you get them on land - they are just tornadoes - they can be very powerful and cause damage.”

       "They've picked up static caravans before now, taken roofs off houses and ripped trees out of the ground."

       A similar phenomenon was observed on Barmouth beach, North Wales, in October 2021.

       Sham Szcliff, who was staying in a caravan on the coast at the time, told North Wales Live: "I was sat on the sofa relaxing when I first saw it. I could see the splashing first and hoped it was the dolphins.

       "I went outside to look closer and realised it was a mini-tornado. I was amazed as I have never seen one before."

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       Waterspout tornado spotted in North Wales (Image: Sham Szcliff)

       The phenomenon is called a "waterspout" tornado and it can occur during showery weather conditions.

       The rare tornadoes are spinning columns of air and water mist caused by strong winds that reach the surface of the water from huge storm clouds.

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