'Tornado-like' waterspout captured off north Norfolk coast

A distinctive cloud, believed to be a waterspout, was photographed offshore at Cley and surrounding areas on Wednesday morning (August 31).

One eyewitness, who could see it from Sheringham, said it looked as if the cloud was "sucking up seawater" and that it was moving at a considerable speed.

A waterspout was captured off the north Norfolk coast (Image: Steve Palmer)

They said: "We had a weather phenomenon off Sheringham this morning.

"The tornado-like cloud above was either sucking up seawater or disturbing it considerably.

"We worked out that it was moving down the coast at 20 to 25mph."

The waterspout was first spotted off the coast at Cley (Image: Gary Lorimer)

Chris Bell, a forecaster at Weatherquest, confirmed that the sighting was a waterspout, which was formed due to the conditions on Wednesday.

Waterspout formations typically occur when cold air moved across an area of warm water, causing a large temperature difference.

Mr Bell said: "There were some heavy showers which moved in off the north sea yesterday morning.

"At this time of year, the sea around Norfolk is typically at its hottest.

The waterspout was first spotted off the coast at Cley (Image: Gary Lorimer)

"The combination of warm water and colder air above mixed with changing wind speeds generated a waterspout.

"It's not that uncommon but for someone like myself, it's really exciting to see something like that - providing it doesn't come onshore."