This viral video seen over five million times shows a stunning water tornado spiralling hundreds of feet to the sky near a coastal Chinese city where it is dubbed “a water-sucking dragon”.
The phenomenon, known technically as a waterspout, appeared in the late afternoon on 12th June as it formed below large rain clouds and then swirled towards land from the South China Sea.
Video Credit: AsiaWire
Videos taken from Qinglv Middle Road in Zhuhai, a coastal city in China’s southern province of Guangdong, show the massive waterspout at its largest while spinning in Xiangzhou Bay.
It travels further inwards towards land, losing energy with every spin before decaying into a thin column of air.
The rare sight was seen by hundreds to thousands, with the clips quickly going viral on social media and piquing the interest of the public.
Zhuhai Meteorological Bureau forecaster Zhan Tang explained the phenomenon saying: “Technically speaking, if it happens at sea, it’s a waterspout.
“The formation of waterspouts is linked to convective weather, and specifically the differences in wind speed at lower and higher altitudes.
“This is what causes this vortex. It’s also known locally as a water-sucking dragon.
“They’re usually very short-lived, and because of their small size, we’re not able to pick them up on our radar or weather satellites – only with the naked eye.”
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Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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