Residents of La Manga were left stunned on Thursday after several dramatic waterspouts appeared over the Mediterranean during severe storms.

Witnesses reported seeing at least three marine tornadoes forming offshore throughout the morning as unstable weather swept across the Murcia coastline.

The phenomenon, known in Spanish as a ‘manga marina’, is a rotating column of air that forms over water beneath storm clouds and can generate extremely powerful wind gusts.

In some cases, waterspouts are capable of producing winds of up to 250km/hr.

Videos and images shared online showed the towering vortexes stretching from dark storm clouds down towards the sea surface just off the coast.

The sightings come as state weather agency Aemet maintains active weather warnings across the Campo de Cartagena area until 9pm.

Authorities have issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, warning they could be accompanied by hail and very strong wind gusts.

An additional orange warning remains in place for torrential rain, with forecasters warning up to 40mm of rainfall could fall within a single hour.

The severe weather forms part of a wider storm system currently affecting parts of eastern and southern Spain, bringing intense downpours, electrical storms and rapidly changing conditions after weeks of unusually warm weather.

Waterspouts are relatively rare but are more likely to form when cold unstable air moves over warm sea surfaces – conditions currently affecting parts of the Mediterranean coast.