Waterspout in Tibet
© Global Times
A video showing a rare waterspout in Dangxiong county of China's southwest Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday has wowed millions of viewers online.

On-site witnesses said that a funnel-shaped rotating waterspout suddenly appeared after the sky was covered by black clouds. The whole process lasted for over ten minutes, Global Times reported.

According to a local meteorologist, the waterspout in Dangxiong was actually a "land tornado", which is a strong wind whirlpool created when the base of the thundercloud reaches to the ground. It usually happens in summer afternoons or dusks when there are thunderstorms.

It is the first time a land tornado has been spotted in Tibet since the autonomous region started meteorological observation in 1961.