A huge waterspout was spotted in Penang earlier yesterday afternoon bringing strong winds and waves with it.

According to The Star, the waterspout was seen near the UDA low-cost flats near Tanjung Tokong and reportedly lasted for about 40 minutes. While Free Malaysia Today reported that based on readings on Accuweather, the wind speed in the area was above 20km/hour.

Netizens shared photos and videos of the phenomenon on Facebook and Whatsapp.

One video captured what looks like zinc roof sheets flying violently around in the wind, supposedly torn off from a nearby construction site.

It left Tanjung Tokong in a huge mess due to the strong winds and rain, with bus stops, trees, and stalls reportedly damaged.

A waterspout is essentially a column of cloud-filled wind rotating over a body of water, such as a lake, or the sea. Despite its name, a waterspout isn?t actually filled with water but formed from the condensation of a cumulus cloud.

There are two types of waterspouts, a tornadic waterspout, and a fair-weather waterspout. The one that took place over Penang appears to have been a fair-weather waterspout.

It is rarely dangerous and usually subsides as it moves away from the body of water. Although, its whipping winds does tend to suck up fish, frogs and other animals into its vortex causing the animals to fall from the sky as the waterspout subsides.