The Observatory (HKO) on Saturday said a waterspout was reported around noon in the vicinity of Victoria Harbour. Videos have been circulating online showing a swirling column of water, seemingly connecting the sky with the harbour. A former assistant director at the HKO, Leung Wing-mo, who's now a spokesman for the Meteorological Society, said waterspouts are rare in Hong Kong, adding that only a few waterspouts had been seen in the city over the past 60 years. Leung also said the occurrence of a waterspout depends on many factors, including the location of a thundercloud, humidity, and the atmosphere. "At the time that the waterspout was observed, if we look at the radar imagery of the Hong Kong Observatory, we had a rain area right in Victoria Harbour, and that rain area is also a thunderstorm bearing," he explained. "So, it all depends on whether this thunderstorm cloud occurred. If it occurred over land, then probably we have a tornado. We have a thunderstorm cloud right over Victoria Harbour, then we have a waterspout." Meanwhile, the Observatory has warned that strong gusts were affecting Hong Kong and it advised people to seek shelter.