THIS is the moment a ‘water tornado’ was seen swirling in the sea off the Costa del Sol.

The footage was shared on community Instagram page Fuengirolasequeja on Wednesday.

The clip shows a thick column of air connected to the clouds meandering its way towards the coast.

It came before the entire Costa del Sol was put on an orange-level warning for strong rain and storms today.

‘Water tornados’ are called ‘waterspouts’ and are similar to tornadoes over water, according to Weather.gov.

A report from the US weather service explains: “Waterspouts are generally broken into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts.

“Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water.

“They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.”

The orange weather warning for the Costa del Sol is in place until at least midnight tonight.

An orange level alert means there is a ‘significant risk’ to the population.

The warning covers the entire coast, including Estepona, Marbella, Malaga city, Velez-Malaga and Nerja.

According to Aemet, 30mm of rain is capable of falling in just one hour.

The orange warning will remain in place in the Axarquia region until 8am tomorrow (Friday).

Meanwhile, the majority of Cadiz and Huelva have been placed on a yellow alert over the same period.

Both regions are expected to see 15mm of rainfall in an hour.

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