A RARE water spout has been spotted between Sandbanks and Poole.

Ian Macavoy witnessed the phenomenon from the window of his flat in Poole on Monday, the bank holiday.

Ian said: "My son works on one of the boats at Poole Quay. He called me and told me to look out the window; I looked and could see a water spout.

"It was quite spectacular."

The water spout was visible at around 9am on Monday, May 27, 2024.

Water spouts are similar to tornados but form over a body of water or move from land to water.

According to National Geographic, a water spout is a column of rotating, cloud-filled wind.

Despite its name, a waterspout is not filled with water from the ocean or lake. A waterspout descends from a cumulus cloud.

National Geographic said: "It does not "spout" from the water. The water inside a waterspout is formed by condensation in the cloud. There are two major types of waterspouts: tornadic waterspouts and fair-weather waterspouts.

"Tornadic waterspouts get their start as true tornadoes. Influenced by winds associated with severe thunderstorms, air rises and rotates on a vertical axis. Tornadic waterspouts are the most powerful and destructive type of waterspout.

"Fair-weather waterspouts, however, are much more common. Fair-weather waterspouts are rarely dangerous. The clouds from which they descend are not fast-moving, so fair-weather waterspouts are often static. Fair-weather waterspouts are associated with developing storm systems, but not storms themselves."

The National Weather Service recognises the dangers caused by waterspouts as part of its "severe local storm" warning list. Waterspouts can pose risks to swimmers and boaters.

Ian said: "It's not something you see very often, but living near the sea, I have seen three over the last few years.

"This one got pretty big. I grabbed my phone to take a picture of it, but I wasn't able to capture its scale.

"When the water spout got really bold, people on Poole Quay started noticing it as well, and everyone started to take pictures."

He added: "I'm hoping there were no boats in the water while it was spinning!"