Waterspout on Tung Wan beach came with tropical storm Ewiniar, Hong Kong's first typhoon of the season
Videos and images of a waterspout spotted in Hong Kong seas circulated online amid tropical storm Ewiniar
Both tornados and waterspouts can be dangerous so it’s best to keep out of their way. Last week, Hong Kong had its first typhoon of the season. But that’s not what everyone was talking about. A waterspout was spotted near Tung Wan beach on Thursday evening.
A waterspout is a natural weather event caused by a funnel cloud. Those funnel clouds are the same clouds which give rise to tornados. In fact waterspouts are just weaker tornados that are moving over water.
Funnel clouds are most often formed during afternoon or evening thunderstorms. To become a waterspout, warm, moist are causes the cloud to spin and push downwards, causing the familiar funnel shape. Both tornados and waterspouts can be dangerous so its best to keep out of their way.
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The Hong Kong waterspout was caused by the rain bands brought by Tropical Storm Ewiniar. Films of it were shared on the internet.
Ewiniar also brought misery for Hongkongers who woke up on Thursday to find their homes flooded. It also caused traffic jams and there were reports of fallen trees around the city. Typhoon signal 3 was raised for more than 20 hours and kindergartens and schools for disabled students were closed.
The amber and then the red rainstorms warnings were up on Friday morning as more rain arrived. A landslip warning was also given.
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The Observatory urged residents in low-lying and poorly drained areas to take the necessary precautions against flooding to reduce health risks and damage to property.
Members of the public were warned to stay away from watercourses to avoid the risk of flash floods.
Today might be drier, but storms were forecast for tomorrow until Thursday.
Edited by Nicole Moraleda