waterspout
This is the dramatic moment a "tornado" was captured swirling on the edge of a Welsh coastline during Storm Dennis.

The footage shows the moment a rare phenomenon formed over the Menai Strait between Anglesey and Gwynedd in north Wales on Sunday as stormy weather brought strong winds.

The waterspout - the name given to tornadoes when they form over water - was formed at around 12pm on Sunday, reports NorthWalesLive.


The footage was captured by Helen Owen near the Anglesey Sea Zoo. She said: "We didn't see it take hold of the water, just that the heavens opened up with rain then hailstones plus the wind.

"Once the hailstones stopped my husband happened to spot it through the van window and said 'look'.

"I immediately went out of the van and started filming the waterspout, my reaction was 'wow' as I'd never seen anything like that before only on the TV."

The weather phenomenon happened as the region was being battered by Storm Dennis.

The storm brought a weekend of travel chaos and flooding as the region recorded the UK's strongest winds.

Roads had to be closed, public transport services were cancelled and flood alerts were put into place as the storm brought torrential downpours and gale-force winds.

At one point, Traffic Wales asked motorists not to drive due to the severity of the storm.